17512 Columbia

today’s news … Tuesday, July 15, 2014

today’s news and information gleanings from here and there!

Quote for today … ” … we will maintain order.” – Returning councillor Jim Smith’s statement at last night’s council meeting finger pointed to those in the gallery who murmured loudly as he delivered his mea culpa for missing the sewer vote at last month’s “council of the whole” meeting. He said an issue of that importance should never have been taken at a council of the whole meeting.

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  • What you should know about crude oil on trains coming through PA – PublicSource
  • The “line in the sand” for fire department consolidation has been drawn. Representatives from two of the borough’s three fire departments petitioned the councillors to approve a “end date” for the borough fostered consolidation of fire companies. Jay Barninger asked for an end date that said by April 1, 2015, the three separate fire fighting entities must come together. He also asked that council consider adjusting the code to allow the existing borough fire chief to maintain the position beyond the end of 2014 until the April 1 date to maintain a course and lessen confusion. Additionally, he asked the council to reconsider the motion passed at last month’s “council of the whole” meeting about the purchase and allocation of the new radios. The council, after discussion, voted to reconsider that decision and reduced the radio purchase authorization which would, according to Barninger, be sufficient to provide radios for borough’s fire officers so that public safety would not be compromised.
  • Consolidation conversation centers on Columbia “getting its act together.” Several years this LancasterOnLine article that stated, “Columbia’s elected officials voted unanimously to ‘immediately’ embark on the consolidation of the three fire companies with regionalization as the ultimate goal.” That phrase was repeated at last night’s meeting too. There are those who remember that Columbia put a deadline of the end of 2014 on the consolidation negotiations. Councillor Mary Barninger wondered whether the five years of consolidation talks had taken a toll; several, representing, firefighter organizations agreed, it had.
  • With consolidation, the number fund-raisers of “chicken barbeques, carnivals and dinners” will abate suggested one councillor. At last month’s “council of the whole”, the fire department on 10th Street suggested that consolidation has glossed over the assets of the separate fire organizations and minimized theirs. While income and expense reporting can be massaged and manipulated, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires not-for profits to file an annual accounting of revenue and expenses with either a form 990 or the 990-N. Here are the 990 filings for the three fire departments for the year 2012:

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  • A gathering of present and former standholders at the Historic Columbia Market House came to the meeting last night to protest the management practices of the operators of the Market House, the Historic Columbia Market House Trust. They asked the borough to intervene. Councillor Barry Ford said that the Columbia’s police department would be “conducting an investigation” into the missing picnic tables which, apparently, were removed by members of the Market House Trust.
  • “LEGAL NOTICE The Zoning Hearing Board of the Borough of Columbia will meet on Wednesday, July 30, 2014, at 7:00 P.M., in the Municipal Building at 308 Locust Street, Columbia, PA, to consider the following application(s) and/or appeal(s): Harry Knighton is requesting variance(s) and/or special exception(s) to construct an addition at 125 Riverfront in a Rural Residential (RR) zoned district. If you are a person with a disability wishing to attend this meeting and require an accommodation to part- icipate in the meeting, please contact the Columbia Borough Office at 684-2467 to discuss how the Borough may accommodate your needs. Jeffrey Helm, Zoning Officer.” – LEGAL NOTICE published in today’s  Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era

 

 

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