Area food serving establishments | Inspections recently completed
- Rivertowne Restaurant (Wrightsville; a complaint-based inspection)
- Wendy’s (east of Columbia; a complaint-based inspection)
Confirmed cases spiral | The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state continues its upward spike. Numbers from the state Department of Health Website.
Interesting | Wonder why the borough is shilling for Comcast by posting this news release (03/20/2020 COMCAST COVID-19 Press Release) at the Borough Website. Nationally, Comcast’s penetration of homes is around 24%; almost certainly, it’s less than that in Columbia. Seems that a more newsworthy report to post would be the daily Pennsylvania Department of Health report.
Posted at the Borough Website | The March 24 council meeting agenda and supporting packet.
Reality | “Online giving: Houses of worship may be closed, but bills still must be paid” – Lancaster Online
Columbia news, views & reviews 
How can the council have a meeting when there will be more than 10 people in the room. 7 council members, the mayor, police chief, secretary to take minutes and I’m sure the fire chief and maybe some other individual to talk about covid 19. Way to go Columbia for following the advice of the CDC. If they feel they need to have a meeting do it via phone or video conference.
Let’s assume the councillors will follow the pattern they’s been doing. The meeting will be live-streamed. Next, the meeting participants really need to pay particular attention to good speaking practices.
When speaking, use the microphones and speak clearly. These borough elected public servants must remember that enunciation and speaking loudly enough for all to hear are really important.
There is know reason for the council to have a meeting at the borough hall what is so important that it can’t wait you are not following the rules there will be more then ten people in the room you are the head of this town and you are not following the rules so disappointed in you
Apparently, the council wished to invite that individual know as COVID-19 into the room for the meeting. Just think what the discussions could be in their upcoming meetings! “If no one is worried, that’s when you should worry.”
The meeting is being held because, by law, the Council has to hold a vote to approve the continuation of the emergency declaration. We are taking steps so there will be less than 10 people in the room. We did take everything off the agenda except the items that are critical. This is not an ideal situation. None of us are happy with this. The alternative is canceling the meeting and then calling an emergency meeting that does not have to be advertised, does not have to allow public comment, and would not be live streamed. If we did that you all would be screaming about Sunshine violations. We are doing the best we can to fulfill our legal requirements and still allow the public to see what we are doing and make comments.
Council could still do a teleconference or video conference. All of the council members have borough issues laptops. There are always alternatives to a live meeting.
By law at least 4 Councillors have to be physically in the room for the vote to count. There is discussion that our state is relaxing that rule but as of now I am not aware that it is official.
In this emergency, some laws must be broken. Council meetings need to be held online and/or telephone.
You can have the council meeting on line there is no reason to have it in the borough hall you can take the vote on line and I don’t feel.that there is any thing else that it can’t wait until you can have a public meeting very disappointed in you Heather to have the meeting
Think it’s unfair to be disappointed in the council president for wanting to be transparent by having this meeting. The situation of the moment is really having an impact in every aspect of out lives. Transparency in government is vital.
But yesterday, we participated in several meetings via Zoom. While not the same as an face-to-face meeting, platforms as Zoom offer the capability of seeing faces, viewing reports; being able to hear everyone and being able to ask questions via audibly or keyboard.
New times, new challenges compel us to look at new ways. Necessity, it’s been said, is the mother of invention.
We applaud the Columbia borough elected public servants for stepping up in during this once-in-a-lifetime (e hope) critical incident of enormous scale. They are trying to be transparent in governing … now if we can just get each of them to sit up and speak up (into the mics) so we can hear them.
But if the meeting is held in person,and there are at least two people there, and one has the coronoavirus, there is a chance of the other becoming infected.
“Don’t eat the yellow snow,” said Frank Zappa of the Mothers of Invention.
If the school board can have there.meeting on line why can’t the borough council and now there are only to be two people in the room and yes you can vote because Pam Williams has not been to the meetings in months still disappointed in you
Most likely the rapid uncertainty of the moment, and the absence of a borough manager, are making things really difficult. We’re confident the council will be looking into streamlining things quickly. Big thing will still be getting some of the intransigents to amply and speak directly into the mics. Old tenured elected public servants fail to understand that or purposefully opt for that style of miscommunication.