Apologies, Dinah for borrowing an idea from your song and changing it …
A year ago, Columbia news, views and reviews wrote this: “The parking meters in Lititz are “bagged” to encourage downtown shopping during the Christmas season. So, too, are the meters in Ephrata … according to this from that Borough’s November minutes: “including ‘bagging’ of parking meters from November 23, 2012 to and including December 31, 2012.” Wonder why Columbia doesn’t consider parking meter “bagging” at Christmas?”
Shopping trips to Columbia, Lancaster and Lititz yesterday showed again that Columbia Borough must really dislike its merchants; its shoppers and its citizens. Here are pictures taken on Wednesday, December 18. Appears more communities recognize that services delivered with a pro-consumer, pro-economic focus are important for positive development and growth. Sigh, if only that could catch on here.
What a difference a day doesn’t make – but it could!
On a brighter note, there is a lighted Christmas tree in Columbia this year. Last year, Columbia news, views & reviews observed there wasn’t one then.
Cole Umber noted the other day, “The Christmas tree at Locust Street Park on Sunday night (I got there shortly before 6:00, and the tree was already lit. If there was a ceremony, I missed it.)”
We wondered last Saturday morning, “If today’s snowfall comes as predicted, will there still be the “TREE LIGHTING at the LOCUST ST PARK, DEC 14,2013 6:00 PM” as shown on the Borough Website?
Columbia news, views & reviews 
interesting article, other communities “bag” parking meter’s for Christmas shopping, why doesn’t Columbia?
Would be interesting to know why?????????
Having ask that anyone know what annual revenue is for proceeds from parking meters.
My vote eliminate parking meters permanently.
my vote is to keep parking meters, raise the price to .50 cents an hour, and make all streets within two blocks of the square one way streets with perpendicular parking and even more meters
RE: annual revenue for proceeds from parking meters.
We cannot answer that, however, citizens can peruse the 2014 budget online. Kudos to the borough for posting the 2014 budgets; the 2013 and 2014 budgets are listed here: http://www.columbiapa.net/budget-information/
Looking through the budgets, we found a line item called: meter receipts. Maybe that’s the answer. In 2013, that number $43,300; in 2014, the budgeted number is $50,000.
What citizens don’t see, however, is an actual expenses budget as you do at the Lancaster County Website. The county lists it expenses “to the penny.” Columbia’s budget is rounded, curiously to the nearest $10. Equally curious, to us, are the relatively static budget allocations (not really expenditures) for many areas. For instance, take a look at the Emergency Management budgeted amount. It’s always the same!
Ditto, the newsletter. That’s comfort budgeting that would never fly in a well-managed private or non-profit sector.
What is the borough spending in salaries for the meter readers? I’m sure it is a wash or may even cost us more in salaries than what is collected from the meters. However, it is a necessary evil because we live in a borough that has WAY too many renters who would take up all of the street parking in front of businesses. That would not be businesses friendly.
Not too certain that argument works, Maria. According to US Census info, the other towns that “bag their meters” to welcome holiday shoppers have similar rental occupied populations: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42000.html. Home ownership rates are:
Columbia – 60.9%
Elizabethtown – 51.7%
New Holland – 58.9%
Ephrata – 62.3%
Lititz – 63.8%
Mount Joy – 63.8%
These numbers would include high-density occupancies like Trinity House & St. Peter’s and a fair percentage of those renters are not parking in downtown.
What’s the borough spending in salaries for the meter readers? According to the 2014 budget (410.133) the borough’s allocated $95,000 for “school crossing/meter maids.”
How quaint and sexist: meter maids?