COLUMBIA SPY

When: Columbia Borough Council meeting, Nov. 7. What happened: Council members agreed to raise property taxes by 1 mill in 2025 to help counter a proposed $1.5-million to $1.7-million budget deficit on an $8.81-million spending plan for the borough's general fund. The borough, which lacks a finance manager, does not yet have exact figures for a total budget of all its funds, Heather Zink, council president, said in a Nov. 8 phone call. n More: Council also scheduled an additional public meeting Nov. 20 to hear comments. Caveat: Zink quoted the higher deficit figure during the meeting but said in the Nov. 8 phone call that the amount is closer to $1.5 million. The general fund has reserves to pay for the deficit, but doing so would deplete those funds, she added. She did not have a figure of how much money the borough has in the reserve fund. Quotables: "For five years we've worked on cutting and cutting and cutting," Zink said during the meeting, referring to the budg...

Park Elementary School , 50 S. Sixth St., Columbia, Oct. 31. Pass . No violations. Taylor Middle School , 45 N. Ninth St., Columbia, Oct. 31. Pass . No violations. Parma Pizza & Grill , 232 Locust St., Columbia, follow-up, Oct. 30. Pass . Food employee observed in the pizza preparation area not wearing beard covers. Observed dust and webbing on the exhaust pipe over the pizza preparation table. The ceiling in the back storage area is not finished, observed plastic draped in some areas due to ceiling leakage, and holes observed in the insulation sheets. Exposed insulation hanging from the open ceiling tiles in that food storage area in the back.

  The budget sheets are  HERE .

Lorraine M. Dommel conveyed 35 S. Eighth St. to 35 S. Eighth LLC for $175,000. Jared Hughes conveyed 1281 Staman Lane to Buller James Lee for $215,000. Sheriff of Lancaster County PA, Columbia Post No 153 Amvets Home Association conveyed 401 S. Second St. to Bank Northwest for $71,000. Sheriff of Lancaster County PA, Duke Abram O. III conveyed 741 Plane St. to Valley View Capital LLC for $114,000. Sheriff of Lancaster County PA, Ort Kimberly A, Ort Leticia A. conveyed 1081 Cloverton Drive to Mtglq Investors LP for $186,320. M&M Realty Co. conveyed 233 N. Second St. to Lucas Bray V for $142,500. Cleon G. Berntheizel conveyed 22 S. Second St. to E. Impact Investments LLC for $405,000. Nancy J. Ernst conveyed property on Malleable Road to Nancy J. Ernst for $1.

 This week's photos of Columbia   (Click on photos to see larger, sharper images.) Here are a few more photos of the standoff and arrests during the incident on South 4th Street on Friday. See previous posts for details. ***************** The recent fall weather has given us a few nice days like this . . . . . . and a few evening skies like these. The bridge inspectors were back yet again.  They must be really concerned.  The mural at Lancaster Distilleries continues to take shape. A rider wearing a furry, horned helmet  This is still there on South 4th. Flags in the breeze There's probably a story behind this. A hawk surveying the premises It's the Lynyrd Skynyrd van! These guys abruptly showed up at Zion Hill Cemetery and just as abruptly left. Half a logo . . .  . . . is better than none.  This biplane flew over this morning. It didn't display any numbers or insignia and didn't show up on radar. Columbia Crossing needs repairs, possibly to the tune ...

J'vian Mendez-Gonzalez (left) Isaiah Diaz (center) and Caelan Brown (right) J'vian Mendez-Gonzalez, 18, of Lancaster, and Isaiah Diaz, 20, and Caelan Brown, 19, both of Columbia, are each charged with multiple felony counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and discharge of a firearm into an occupied structure. Mendez-Gonzalez had been arrested in August on felony kidnapping charges . He was released after posting $75,000 bail on Aug. 26. He is scheduled to be arraigned on those charges on Nov. 22. Mendez-Gonzalez, Diaz and Brown remain in Lancaster County prison after being unable to post bail. Mendez-Gonzalez had his bail set at $500,000, while bail for Diaz and Brown was set at $250,000. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 14. [Source: LNP/LancasterOnline]

https://local21news.com/news/local/lancaster-county-coroner-called-to-search-area-for-missing-fire-police-captain