Senators introduce plan to eliminate school property taxes in PA

HARRISBURG – A bipartisan group of 20 lawmakers have joined together to introduce a plan drafted by over 80 grassroots taxpayer groups from across the state to eliminate school property taxes for the state's 500 public school districts, according to Senator David G. Argall (R-Schuylkill/Berks).

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2 more juvenile lifers receive deadline for resentencing on life without parole sentences

U.S. District Court Judge Mitchell Goldberg ordered resentencing hearings for Gregory Sourbeer, 56, and Ricardo Cruz, 38, on Friday.

Sourbeer was 14 when he shot his mother, Fannie Sourbeer, to death at their Columbia home in 1976.

MORE:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/more-juvenile-lifers-receive-deadline-for-resentencing-on-life-without/article_37d6b4e6-5518-11e7-8513-43b1600ae71a.html

Borough Hall is out of space - What's the answer?

A public meeting was held June 14 at Columbia's municipal building to discuss the feasibility of consolidating the borough offices, police department and school district offices in one building - the District Administration Center - as a Columbia Borough Government Center. The DAC now houses only school district employees and operations. Several borough representatives at the meeting claimed that the borough has outgrown its current headquarters at 308 Locust Street and that operations are being hampered due to lack of space. Several council members were present at the meeting, but only one school board representative, Charles Leader, was there. Only a handful of residents attended.

Mayor Leo Lutz said there is not enough room for borough operations at the municipal building. "We're constantly juggling things around," he said. Lutz said the records room was outgrown 16 years ago and now contains two offices out of necessity.

 Lutz said he has talked to our legislators about a potential move, and they thought it was a good idea. He said that if we cut costs, we can show legislators what we've done on our own before asking for financial help. A barrier to consolidation is Luther Care, a child care organization, which occupies a part of the DAC. Lutz said he had heard Luther Care is looking to move out, but Leader said he didn't know anything about them leaving. Leader added that space at the DAC is tight also.

Councillor Mary Wickenheiser said the borough needs extra space due to added services: codes, clerks, etc. "There are more people working in this building," she said. Codes manager Steve Kaufhold said his department needs more space, because the borough is no longer using third-party inspectors. He said seven codes employees are now using a 12 x 12 area.

Council president Kelly Murphy said, "We're upping our game, especially with codes. We've got the whole building crammed to the max." He noted that moving to the DAC is just an option. "This is the first discussion," Murphy said. "We're looking at options." He said the borough is looking for "the most bang for the buck" and that other sites will also be considered. There is no deadline for a move yet, he said. Murphy added that if either entity (borough or school district) says no to the idea, there will not be any animosity.

Moving to the former Columbia No. 1 Fire Company building on Front Street was discussed but was frowned upon due to the nearby rail lines with trains that could hinder police response time. A resident expressed disapproval about the possibility of holding cells in the DAC. Lutz said the police department does not need to be in the same building as the borough offices.

Parking concerns for additional personnel at the DAC were discussed. Lutz asked if the borough could lease parking spaces from the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, whose building is nearby.

Lutz said another advantage to consolidating is financial. "What can we do to help the taxpayer?" he asked. He said the project won't move forward without a funding scheme. A resident asked about the costs associated with the move (renovations, etc.) and was told that would be part of a feasibility study. Lutz said the cost of such a study is $10-15,000. Other public meetings will be held before any decision is made, to get citizen input.

Zoning meeting June 28 to consider mixed use building on Locust

Library happenings this week

School board special meeting Wednesday, June 21, to approve budget

School board doesn't pass budget, citing ELANCO snub - but extends agreement

The Columbia School Board unanimously declined to pass a 2017-18 budget Thursday night, citing uncertainty over the shared services agreement with ELANCO. However, the board passed an amended motion for an extension until September 30, 2017. The current agreement was scheduled to expire June 30.  Much of the proposed budget assumes continuing the agreement, which includes services from ELANCO’s superintendent, business manager, and technology personnel. So far, ELANCO's board president has been unresponsive, according to several Columbia board directors.

In considering passage of the amendment for an extension, directors noted ELANCO's lack of engagement and that an extension might not solve the problem if ELANCO does not approve the agreement.

Vice-president Charles Leader said the budget is based on having the agreement. "As of right now, we don't have the agreement," he said.

ELANCO Superintendent Robert Hollister said the ELANCO board is comfortable with the extension proposed in the evening's agenda, which takes the agreement until September 30. "The Eastern Lancaster County Board has had the information and is still mulling it over," Hollister said. "My assumption is they have been waiting until the end of the year to review that."

Board director Rachael Kedney expressed frustration about ELANCO's lack of response, however. "We've done our part, but there's been no engagement," she said. "We're trying to do as a board what's responsible for Columbia Borough, and I'm very disappointed that we're not receiving anything from ELANCO. It concerns me that we're not able to have everything we need to approve a budget because of a lack of conversation."

Director Vickie Anspach also noted the problems with passing a budget. "It is difficult to make this decision especially with ELANCO's board not giving us a final decision yet."

Board president Keith Combs concurred with board directors. "We've not heard anything back although we've done our due diligence," Combs said. He suggested pushing the envelope and having Columbia board members meet with ELANCO's board president and solicitor before Columbia's committee of the whole meeting in August. Combs said he would like an answer before the end of three-month extension.

Board director Barry Ford cited concerns with allowing the agreement to die. "If this agreement expires, we're going to have to look for a superintendent, a business manager, technology people - and we can't afford that," he said. Ford said the September 30 extension would allow more time for negotiations.

But board director Kathy Hohenadel said continuing with extensions might not accomplish the goal. "We risk getting into that dangerous 'let it flow, let it flow, let it flow,'" she said. Hohenadel also said Columbia's efforts to give better direction to this partnership have gone unanswered by ELANCO. "Quite honestly, the president of the ELANCO board has been unresponsive," she said. "How do we know if we let it go to September 30 that we're going to any point in time get even a return phone call to our board president from the ELANCO board president? When do we say we need the courtesy of an answer from the board?"

Hollister noted that the ELANCO board will meet Monday, June 19 - the last opportunity to extend the deadline until next month's meeting.

Combs urged passing the extension: "I don't want to see this thing run out in two weeks, and Columbia Borough is left scrambling looking for multiple positions to fill before the next school year."

Ford cautioned about the dangers of losing the agreement altogether. "If we don't have this agreement, we can put the 'for sale' sign on the door," he said.

After discussion, the board passed an amended motion for an extension, with the stipulation that subsequent extensions not be allowed. All directors present voted for the motion - except Leader, who voted no. Directors Cole Knighton and Jenna Geesey were absent.