COLUMBIA SPY

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 wa...

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 larg...

If you have a home-based business in Columbia Borough and have installed a Knox Box, or you were told by the borough to install one, please contact Dr. William Kraft at 717-684-3981 for information and advice on the issue.

Wednesday, 1/30/2019, Columbia Borough School District on 2-hour delay