New state law ends last-minute votes at local meetings — in Wrightsville, Columbia and everywhere else
WRIGHTSVILLE — Starting Dec. 21, borough councils across Pennsylvania, including Wrightsville’s and Columbia’s, will have a harder time adding surprise items to their meetings. Wrightsville’s solicitor briefed council Monday on the new law, which closes a loophole in the state’s Sunshine Act, the open-meetings law that says the public must see a meeting’s agenda at…
Wrightsville’s new kayak launch is almost ready to float
WRIGHTSVILLE — Paddlers, get ready. Wrightsville’s new kayak launch on the Susquehanna is nearly finished, the borough engineer told council Monday. “It looks like a project at this point,” the engineer said. The floating dock is scheduled to be delivered and installed next Wednesday. Don’t plan a long paddle just yet, though. Under the borough’s…
Wrightsville neighbors fed up with weeds as complaint list hits a record
WRIGHTSVILLE — An 84-year-old Wrightsville resident told Borough Council on Monday night that she has been complaining about overgrown yards next door for six years, and she’s tired of waiting. “Don’t give me a thing that you’re going to take time to do this,” she said. “I’m 84 years old. I like to see my…
Election Day in Columbia: Miller vs. Chambers, and Why We Say No on the Library Tax
The 41st District: a rematch with a hometown twist COLUMBIA — Columbia voters head to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 3, and one of the races closest to home is for state representative in the 41st District, which includes all of Columbia Borough. It’s a rematch. Republican Brett Miller, who has held the seat since 2014,…
Halloween Saturday in Columbia: Trick-or-Treat Tonight, Rock on Third Street, and an Extra Hour of Sleep Sunday
Ghosts, goblins and a near-perfect fall forecast mark a Halloween that falls on a weekend for the first time in years By The Columbia Chronicle Staff · Oct 31, 2026 COLUMBIA — Halloween landed on a Saturday this year, and Columbia is making a full day of it. From the morning market on South Third…
Rental ordinance tabled as landlords ask who’s running codes
By Jesse Sweigart, The Columbia Chronicle Columbia Borough Council on Tuesday put off a vote to advertise long-planned changes to its rental and property rules, after members said they got the meeting packet that afternoon and hadn’t had time to read it. The changes amend Chapters 112 and 166 of the borough code. Council tabled…
Longtime EMS leader urges Columbia to drop ‘pending’ ambulance call program
By Jesse Sweigart, The Columbia Chronicle A former head of Columbia’s volunteer ambulance service asked Borough Council on Tuesday to back out of a program that lets the borough’s ambulance provider hold lower-priority calls before responding. Frank Splain Jr. of Maytown said he joined Columbia Ambulance and later ran Columbia Quick Response Service for about…
Resident calls on Mayor Lutz to resign, asks council to remove Brommer now
By Jesse Sweigart, The Columbia Chronicle A Columbia resident called Tuesday for Mayor Leo Lutz to resign and urged Borough Council to end Jack Brommer’s service as borough manager immediately rather than wait for his resignation to take effect. Robert Thompson, the first speaker of the night, said he had planned to talk about pedestrian…
Parking coin bags still at Columbia police station, waiting on armored truck
By Jesse Sweigart, The Columbia Chronicle The bags of parking-meter coins that Police Chief Holly Arndt found in the department’s evidence room are still at the police station, borough officials said Tuesday. They’re waiting for an armored truck to haul them away. Resident Frank Doutrich asked during public comment whether the money was still there….
Codes manager’s exit takes over council meeting; members say council never voted
By Jesse Sweigart, The Columbia Chronicle The departure of longtime borough codes manager Paula Diffenderfer took over Tuesday night’s Columbia Borough Council meeting. Residents, landlords and her daughter lined up to ask what happened, and two council members said the full council never voted on it. Diffenderfer resigned Monday, Oct. 26. Council President Eric Kauffman…
Editorial: Columbia Needs an Independent Investigation, Not Another Quiet Resignation
By The Columbia Chronicle Editorial Board On Monday, a long-serving Columbia Borough employee resigned. She worked in the codes department, served as the borough’s Right-to-Know officer and trained new employees. By every account, she did the work of three people. Council President Eric Kauffman confirmed to the Chronicle by text message that her resignation came…
Columbia’s Beloved Halloween Parade Draws Thousands as Community Celebrates Its Roots
(Columbia, Pa) – By Tiberius James For 79 years, Columbia’s Mardi Gras “Halloween” Parade has brought neighbors together, and on Thursday night, the tradition once again proved why it remains one of the community’s most cherished events. Thousands of residents and visitors packed the streets as more than 90 floats, marching bands, fire apparatus, community…
Columbia’s Draft 2027 Budget Raises Borough Taxes 10% After Reassessment
Your tax rate is getting cut in half. Your tax bill isn’t. Welcome to reassessment math. COLUMBIA — Good news: Columbia’s borough tax rate is about to drop from 10 mills to about 5. Bad news: your house is apparently worth twice as much now, so the borough will still collect about 10% more. Borough…
Editorial: Columbia Can’t Afford Another Tax — Vote No on the Library Referendum
This is an opinion piece by The Columbia Chronicle. On Nov. 3, Lancaster County voters will be asked to create a new, permanent property tax for public libraries. We value our libraries, including the Columbia Public Library on South Sixth Street. But for Columbia homeowners, this is the wrong tax at the wrong time. We…
Home Goodies Hosts Pumpkin Carving Before Thursday’s Parade
COLUMBIA — Before the floats and marching bands roll down Locust Street on Thursday night, a downtown coffee shop is handing out carving tools — free of charge. HomeGoodies & Coffee, 336 Locust St., will host a free pumpkin carving ahead of the 79th annual Mardi Gras “Halloween” Parade on Thursday, Oct. 22. 5PM-7PM There…
79th Mardi Gras Parade Steps Off Thursday, Celebrating Columbia’s Roots
COLUMBIA — Columbia’s oldest autumn tradition takes to the streets Thursday night, and this year the town itself is the theme. The 79th annual Mardi Gras “Halloween” Parade steps off at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, from the Columbia Borough Fire Department at 10th and Manor streets. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Our Roots: Columbia…
