Today’s news and information gleanings from here and there.

Quote for today … “If your assessment increased by a significantly greater percentage than the average in your taxing jurisdiction, then your tax bill is more likely go up. The bigger that gap, the greater the likelihood of an increase and the bigger that increase could be.” – Extracted from an article in today’s LNP – Always Lancaster‘s page one lead article about property re-assessment.

• The average county-wide assessment increase is $196,183 or an increase of nearly 35%. Columbia’s average increase is just under 27% according to the article.

Tomorrow night’s Borough Council Meeting Agenda (preliminary) lists these items among the many others:

1. Consider approval to establish initial funding for the Columbia Borough Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund in an amount of $1.5 million utilizing proceeds from the LASA purchase of the sewer conveyance system.
2. Consider approval to hire a part-time driver to operate the Borough’s Trolley.
3. Consider awarding the 2017 River Park Concessions Bid to Chiques Rock Outfitters/James Cox in the amount of $150.00 per month beginning 3/13/17 thru 3/13/18.
4. Consider hiring Justin Barrell as a full-time Columbia Borough Police Officer.
5. Consider approval to install a permanent parking space in front of the Columbia Kettle Works, located at 40 N. 3^rd Street, for loading and unloading of trucks. The parking meter will not be removed.
6. Consider a Facility Use Request by the SVCC to hold a “River Town Hops – Beer Tasting” event on August 5, 2017 (just one of many facility use requests that will be considered).

The arrival of Daylight Saving Time is the right time to change batteries in smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Went to Radio Shack for mine; the sign on the door and on the receipt are indicators that the “Shack” are not long term tenants at the Shops at Prospect.

Turkey Hill Dairy announced the addition of six new ice cream flavors to its line-up | Prmium Ice Cream varieties: Chocolate Salted Caramel and Raspberry Cream Swirl and All Natural flavors:  Blueberry, Mango, Mocha Swirl, and Raspberry Chocolate Chip.

• Oh, Man – Darrenkamp’s in E-town racks up the violations! Lancaster County’s food serving places’ inspections. – Lancaster Online

• York County’s food serving places’ inspections – The York Dispatch

• Reckon some folks like living on the edge | “This is the eighth time this restaurant has been ruled out of compliance since March 2015. The facility failed its inspection four times in a row between April 2016 and December 2016.” – York County inspections. – The York Dispatch
  

• Click here to go to the state’s Website of inspections … and the listing of the violations at each location. The statewide directory lists inspections for all municipalities in York County and Lancaster County.… except those in Columbia – Columbia persists in having its own inspection system with its own forms and inspection items – rather than the one used statewide.