Columbia Borough Council votes 5-2 to hire finance manager at $83,200

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Columbia Borough Council voted 5-2 at its June 23, 2026 meeting to hire Tracey Weaver as the borough's new finance manager, filling a position that had been vacant for roughly six months. Members Heather Zink and Joanne Geesey were the two "no" votes.

The position also carries human resources responsibilities, including payroll, benefits administration, and personnel matters.

Weaver is currently employed as Township Treasurer/Human Resource Coordinator for Mount Joy Township. According to her application and resume, she has worked in finance, bookkeeping, and HR roles for nearly two decades and has more than two years of municipal finance experience, which the borough's executive brief notes.

Weaver applied for the Columbia Borough finance manager position on January 30, 2026, and her application notes she had also applied previously, on May 20, 2025. The executive brief states that Weaver was interviewed by the borough manager, assistant borough manager, and the borough's finance consultant, and that all three agreed to move forward with hiring her. During the meeting, it was noted that councilors and staff also interviewed Weaver separately. 

Councilwoman Geesey raised concerns about whether Weaver meets the qualifications laid out in the borough's job description for the position. Reading from the document, Geesey said the finance manager role calls for the equivalent of four or more years of post-secondary education at an accredited college or university in accounting or a similar field of study.

Geesey: "I just think it's an an awful lot of money to pay, and it's over the budget." [File photo]

Geesey said Weaver does not have any college-level education in accounting, though she noted the two years of municipal experience. She argued that Weaver does not meet the educational requirements specifically outlined in the job description, and questioned the wisdom of paying that salary to a candidate who doesn't meet those qualifications.

Brommer: "She has a very good personality and indicates to us she likes to be busy and she's a worker, which is what we need here." [File photo]

Borough Manager Jack Brommer explained:

"She has a very good personality and indicates to us she likes to be busy and she's a worker, which is what we need here."

 

Council vice president Zink added:

"And honestly, you hire personality; you can teach skill."

The executive brief set Weaver's annual salary at $81,120 per year, contingent on a background check and medical evaluation. However, the salary was increased to $83,200 after Weaver made a counter offer, according to Council President Kauffman. Weaver will also receive training from Brown's, the accounting firm the borough is currently using.

Councilman Ethan Byers commented: "We are under significantly what she could be making in other places if she wanted to." Byers added that the standard salary for a borough finance manager is $104,000.

The executive brief notes higher costs incurred from paying outside contractors to cover finance work during the vacancy, and states that the borough manager and contractors had been handling finance and HR duties typically assigned to a finance manager.

The backstory 

Since 2020, Columbia Borough has experienced a high rate of turnover, going through six different finance managers or interim accounting solutions. The sequence of turnover and personnel in the borough’s finance department includes:

Kyle Watts: Served for two years until his departure in January 2021.

BGA&F Accounting Firm: Handled borough finances in early 2021 after a series of brief interim stints.

Tammy Bennett: Hired in June 2021, she served for three years before resigning in July 2024.

Karen Weiss: Hired in September 2024, she quit abruptly after a short time.

Michelle Jenkins: Hired in November 2024, she was later terminated in May 2025.

Brian Christensen: Hired in August 2025, he tendered his resignation in December 2025.