COLUMBIA SPY

Friday, February 1, 2019

Tax hike/revolving loan fund citizen comments, Part 2

Citizen Comments, Part 2, 1/22/2019 Columbia Borough Council Meeting

Mary Wickenheiser: "Well all I ever heard about Social Security was, it was to help you in your retirement. It wasn't supposed to be your entire retirement. So somehow it has reached that point, and it's sad that it has reached that point, and I'm sorry there are people who are in that position, but the borough needs to do what is best for the borough."

Mary Wickenheiser said she supports what previous speakers Taylor Callaway and Kay Leader said in favor of the recent tax hike. Wickenheiser, who noted she was a member of council for 13 years, said that back then, council had resisted raising municipal taxes due to the school district's tax increases - in order to avoid overtaxing residents. "We know the school district's going to raise the taxes," she recalled. "We can't hit our citizens with two tax hikes." She added that holding the line on taxes was what got the borough to this point. "That's what got us here. We were too good."

Wickenheiser said she read that people are saying they can't afford the recent increase, because they're on a fixed income. "I'm on a fixed income. Well all I ever heard about Social Security was, it was to help you in your retirement. It wasn't supposed to be your entire retirement. So somehow it has reached that point, and it's sad that it has reached that point, and I'm sorry there are people who are in that position, but the borough needs to do what is best for the borough."

Wickenheiser turned to council and said, "Truthfully, you guys are really taking the heat on this one, and it shouldn't just be you who are taking the heat. We had a previous borough manager. He was there for how many years that I was there. Mr. Doutrich sat on council while I was there. He was appointed to fill a position . . . You guys are taking the heat for something you inherited from the past. And I commend you for having the guts to step forward and approve this tax increase."

Mindy Blasick: "There isn't one citizen that doesn't want us to thrive and benefit from that, but it feels like you're sucking the blood out of the citizens, to do it, and you don't want to listen. Your minds are made up."

Mindy Blasick said she has a wide range of sentiments on the tax issue. She quoted Winston Churchill: "There's a price to pay for greatness, and that's responsibility." Blasick then expanded on that sentiment - and on Wickenheiser's statement, "Whether you inherited it or however you got it, it's your responsibility to maintain this town." She explained further, "There isn't one citizen that doesn't want us to thrive and benefit from that, but it feels like you're sucking the blood out of the citizens, to do it, and you don't want to listen. Your minds are made up."

She said council should have started managing their budget like a household budget 10 years ago. Blasick said that due to the tax increase, she will now need to work more overtime and won't be able to help businesses. "It's just very frustrating," she said. "You can see it from both sides, but there has to be a middle ground." Blasick noted that the issues are dividing us. She also believes the borough is taking a gamble. "It's a great risk, and we're all going to pay for it."

Travis McCarty: "The buzz in Lancaster is honestly this town, so if you don't think it's moving in the right direction, you're wrong, because every person that comes in that bar is talking about the waterfront expansion, the hotel, everything, so if you're against it, by all means you have no idea the buzz that's getting created everywhere else in this county."

Travis McCarty asked residents to stop the name-calling on social media, because he finds it "unbecoming." He said the remarks reach beyond just the people in Columbia. McCarty said he wants to open a restaurant here, but his investors are reluctant "because of the language." He said they are now going to open the restaurant in Lancaster. He urged residents to treat each other with respect "and show outsiders who we are."

McCarty said he works for Columbia Kettle Works, and the establishment just opened its second location in Lancaster. "The buzz in Lancaster is honestly this town, so if you don't think it's moving in the right direction, you're wrong, because every person that comes in that bar is talking about the waterfront expansion, the hotel, everything, so if you're against it, by all means you have no idea the buzz that's getting created everywhere else in this county," McCarty said. "Lititz is talking about it. Ephrata is talking about it."

He suggested that residents might not understand the different taxes and offered to talk to them after the meeting "to break down some of the stuff you may not understand as citizens."

Council heard citizen comments at the January 22, 2019 Columbia Borough Council meeting.

Mike Shomody said he did the calculations and found that "$12 [per month] is what we're getting really upset about." He said the tax increase is the cost of doing business. "It has to go through, because the day-to-day operations have to be taken care of, and that does come from the general fund," he said, noting salaries and cost of living increases.

Of the loan fund, he said, "I look at this as an investment to the future of Columbia Borough. If we don't invest in commercial now, we will end up turning around, no one will move into this town, and then the buildings become vacant and fall over, and we have every other taxpayer in here bitching about that, then we'll pay for taxpayer dollars to demolish it and clean it up."

[A resident then stood up and began walking out, proclaiming, "Twelve dollars! 12 lunches for senior citizens. They're not supposed to eat for two weeks?!"]

Nate Bunty: "This isn't just a sudden thing. Columbia has been on an upward trajectory for several years, and people are starting to notice."

Nate Bunty said he has spoken in favor of what council has been doing over the last several years. "This isn't just a sudden thing. Columbia has been on an upward trajectory for several years, and people are starting to notice," he said. "I've gone to networking meetings with commercial lenders, realtors, business developers for 10 to 15 years. Lately, over the past several years, the buzz has been Columbia." Bunty said the negative perception of Columbia is "starting to go away."

Bunty noted that 96,000 people were on the trail last year and speculated: "Imagine if we build that expansion. 150 - 200,000 people might use the trail." Bunty is bullish about Columbia's future. "I think we're about to hit a hockey stick. We're going to shoot up. And again, I think those types of opportunities - those types of environments - scare some people. Change always scares some people."

He quoted author Seth Godin: "Those who accept uncertainty are the pathfinders for the rest of us." Bunty continued, "So if we accept some uncertainty, we can get pathfinder as a community. Some of our business leaders in the community are accepting that uncertainty. They're investing hundreds of thousands of their own dollars to change things in town here and accept that uncertainty and be a pathfinder for the community."

Sharon Lintner: "I want to see it thrive, but use your own money. Don't use ours. I'd like to have mine to put into my own home which is also my investment."

Sharon Lintner said she was born in Columbia. She told council she has made a huge investment in this town. As she was about to continue, Bunty shouted from the back of the room and was admonished by her and Murphy. "$12 a month is not what we're upset about," Lintner said. "We're upset about where and why - where it's going. I invested in my property. The developer in question will have a tax abatement. I will be paying more taxes while he pays less."

She pushed back on McCarty's suggestion that residents don't understand the difference between municipal and school taxes. "It doesn't matter if they're separate. We pay them all. I think it's wrong to take our taxes and give it to someone who stands to profit off our back." She said the ever-increasing taxes are "eroding away our lifestyle."

Touching on Wickenheiser's statements, Lintner said that not everyone is privileged to have access to a pension. "Fixed incomes for some are different for others," she said. She also explained that she is not against development in Columbia and has defended the town for years. "I want to see it thrive, but use your own money. Don't use ours. I'd like to have mine to put into my own home which is also my investment."

Columbia Public Library - February 2019 Calendar of Events

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Tax hike/revolving loan fund once again the focus of citizen comments

Citizen Comments, Part 1, 1/22/2019 Columbia Borough Council Meeting

Comments at last week's council meeting focused primarily on the recent municipal tax hike and revolving loan fund, with sentiments - pro and con - evenly divided. Of the 21 residents who signed up to speak, not all did so - for various reasons. 12 commented on the tax hike/loan fund, and four spoke on other issues. As with the month's previous council meeting, the atmosphere was contentious, with some comments eliciting groans or laughter from the audience. The meeting was also punctuated by several outbursts, with one man shouting from the back of the room as a resident began to speak at the lectern, and a woman shouting as she left the room. An audience member also repeatedly shouted "Vote 'em out!" several times during the meeting.

Heather Zink: "I struggle to think of any business that would continue to operate at a deficit, pulling money out of savings while still spending large sums of money."

Resident Heather Zink said she was upset at the tax increase. She said she had hoped that petitions recently presented to council would serve as a catalyst for dialogue between residents and council but was disappointed at the last meeting when council president Kelly Murphy read a prepared statement instead. "How can you make up your mind before you even heard what we had to say?" she asked. Zink said she was also upset by a part of the letter that characterized the general fund as the cost of doing business. "I struggle to think of any business that would continue to operate at a deficit, pulling money out of savings while still spending large sums of money," she said. Zink told council that it felt like a punch in the gut when it "sold us a bill of goods."

Zink also noted that, according to the ordinance, the limit for an individual loan is $1.5 million "Why would we allow one loan to completely wipe out the fund?" she asked, adding that the fund would need to wait for repayment before lending any more funds. Zink named other local businesses and asked if any of them needed to borrow money to get started. "So, if none of those businesses needed borough funds, why is there a sudden need to create a loan fund now?" she asked. Citing a comment from the last meeting, she said: "We need to stop putting so much stock in getting people to visit, and we need to focus on getting them to stay."

Taylor Callaway: "We are at a critical point in Columbia history, a crossroads in which we will either rise or fall back to being a tumbling town look down upon by its neighbors."

Taylor Callaway said she has lived in town for seven years. "We are at a critical point in Columbia history, a crossroads in which we will either rise or fall back to being a tumbling town look down upon by its neighbors," she said. "We have a great opportunity." She said she sees many exciting and encouraging things happening in Columbia. "There's revival happening here, and I can't stress enough its impact," she said, citing "the restoration and rejuvenation of a number of buildings and businesses." Callaway said the planned downtown hotel will provide jobs, income, and an influx of visitors. "So many of these wonderful projects are made possible by our tax dollars and their matching power through grants and through other investors," she said. "Simply put, it takes money to make money." Callaway urged residents not to mar progress with petty arguments and finger-pointing. "We cant all agree on everything and that's okay. Changes are happening, and I do hope you'll take part."

Frank Doutrich: "It's a matter of doing the right thing."

Frank Doutrich asked council members if they had a copy of the financial report for the last meeting when they voted on it. Murphy said they had. Doutrich said that when he picked up a council packet at the borough office, it did not contain anything pertaining to finance. He said he had asked three people affiliated with the borough about the issue and was told it would be discussed at the present meeting. "Why did I not have a packet?" He then asked borough manager Rebecca Denlinger, "If you had a copy of the finance report, why didn't we, the public, get that? The only thing I can figure is you didn't want us to have it." Regarding a looming legal battle over the revolving loan fund, Doutrich said, "It's not about who wins this. It's not being done to see who wins. It's to see who don't lose. It's a matter of doing the right thing."

James McGinness: "You are the people that the council has to answer to."

James McGinness, who grew up on Manor Street, thanked the audience for attending meetings. "You are the people that the council has to answer to," McGinness said. He then turned towards council members and said, "It appears to me that a lot of you don't care what these people think." McGinness chided council about fiscal responsibility. "You have to realize you have to work within your budget, and you have to segment these increases," he said. McGinness told council that people have a hard time making ends meet. "Things have to change, ladies and gentlemen. These people deserve better. You represent the taxpayers of this town. The taxpayers entrust you with spending their money judiciously, and in my opinion you're not doing it. These people deserve better, and this all has to change."

Shelley Poe: "The majority of us don't want this. And you need to hear that."

Shelley Poe said she is new to the area, having purchased a home here about two years ago. She said she had just found out about the tax hike and is angry about it. "I'm pretty teed off," she said. "I'm highly upset because to try to promote other businesses, in order to do that through taxpayer dollars is wrong. Most people when they want to have business, they scrape and they scrimp, and they do all that they can with family members, with friends. They don't go to taxpayers for money to help with their businesses." Poe, a veteran, added, "This is unjust, and it's very important that you all listen to people who make less than what you make, people that make less than $50,000 a year." Councilman Cleon Berntheizel later attempted to interrupt, but she said "I'm not finished. The other thing you need to remember is, if I have to pay that I won't be able to visit these businesses, because I certainly won't be able to purchase things from these businesses." She said she will struggle to pay the taxes and told council she is a law-abiding citizen and re-emphasized her anger over the hike. "I'm here to tell you I'm not happy about it, because I feel like, as this gentleman [McGinness] said, you're not listening to us. The majority of us don't want this. And you need to hear that."

Kay Leader: "The motives of this council are pure, and their decisions are based upon what is good for this borough that I love."

Longtime resident Kay Leader said she loves Columbia. She said there was a time when she was hesitant to say she was from here, because of negative opinions about the town, but that her feelings have changed. "I feel we're moving in a very positive direction with vision and goals for the future," she said. "In my opinion this is a result of decisions that have been made that are changing how we look, and I'm giving credit to our borough council, to Rebecca [Denlinger], to the mayor for those positive changes. They have been willing to look for opportunities for development and growth in a town that I care about." Leader added that she wants to believe that this direction will eventually have a positive effect on the tax base and subsequently on residents' taxes as businesses and visitors are enticed to town. She said that residents need to think about what they want the borough to be in the future and that she wants it to be attractive and draw people here to visit and live. Leader added that it's okay to question council, but she believes "the motives of this council are pure, and their decisions are based upon what is good for this borough that I love."