This 1917 American La France fire truck, which is undergoing a restoration, will be on display at the “Thunder on the River” car show on Saturday.
A piece of firefighting history will be on display at Columbia’s “Thunder on the River” car show on Saturday, when a 1917 American La France fire truck makes an appearance in the heart of the downtown.
The antique truck will be stationed in the 400 block of Locust Street, across from Columbia Pizza.
Fire company members, who are working to restore and preserve the truck, will accept donations to help fund the ongoing restoration.
Donations of Columbia fire company memorabilia from former departments, such as photographs, equipment, uniforms, or other artifacts, are also being accepted and can be dropped off at the display for preservation.
Lancaster County property owners are opening mailboxes this week to find reassessment notices reflecting dramatic increases in their property values — with some communities seeing assessments nearly double under the county’s first major reassessment in years.
Notices are being mailed Monday, June 15, 2026, for the 2027 Final Reassessment, which applies to taxable parcels countywide.
Countywide numbers
The average single-family home in Lancaster County is currently assessed at $202,310, with a median assessment of $182,300. Across the county, the average percent change per parcel is 89.94%, while the median change lands at 78.52% — meaning most homeowners will see their assessed value nearly double on paper.
Columbia Borough hit hardest
Among all municipalities listed in the reassessment statistics, Columbia Borough posted the highest average increase in the county at 140.74% — more than 50 percentage points above the countywide average. That means a Columbia Borough property previously assessed at $150,000 could now carry an assessed value of roughly $361,000.
Other municipalities saw significant but comparatively lower increases:
What this means for your tax bill — and what it doesn’t
County officials are emphasizing a critical point that often gets lost in reassessment headlines: higher assessments do not automatically mean higher tax bills.
The purpose of a reassessment, according to county documentation, is to equalize all property values to 100% of current fair market value — ensuring that similar properties are taxed fairly relative to one another. Local taxing bodies, including school districts and municipalities, are expected to adjust their millage rates in response to the new values.
“Reassessments are NOT done to increase property taxes,” the county states plainly in its
Frequently asked questions
A useful rule of thumb offered by the county: Could you sell your property for your new assessed value in today’s real estate market? If the answer is yes, the new value may be accurate.
How to check your assessment — and how to appeal
Property owners who have not received a notice, or want to review their new value, can visit LancasterPA-reval.Devnetwedge.com and search by parcel number, address, or name.
Every property owner has the right to appeal their assessed value through the Board of Assessment Appeals. The board evaluates appeals based on the fair market value of the property. Property owners considering an appeal should review their new assessed value carefully before filing.
Questions about incorrect mailing addresses can be directed to PAQuestions@LancasterCountyPA.gov.
Additional district-by-district reassessment data is available through the Lancaster County Assessment Office.
A 3-alarm fire tore through three homes and a warehouse at South 4th Street and Avenue I on Saturday afternoon. Several residents are believed to have been displaced.
The call came in shortly after 3 p.m., prompting dozens of units to respond.
Thick smoke billowed from the two-story homes as firefighters worked to knock down the fire from multiple angles. Mutual aid was provided by several departments, including more than 40 units from across Lancaster and York counties, including EMA and ECC personnel.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined. No information on injuries was immediately available.
On May 5, Holly Arndt was sworn-in as chief of the Columbia Borough Police Department.[Columbia Spy photo by Joe Lintner]
DAN NEPHIN | LNP Staff Writer
Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz said it became clear when evaluating staff to determine if the department could hire from within, or if it would have to look outside, that Holly Arndt was who they were looking for.
“She was head and hands above all the other officers in her willingness to move forward and to better herself and also the department,” Lutz said Friday.
Arndt admitted to a reluctance to take the lieutenant’s test at first. She said “the guys and girls that work here — is what motivated me to step into that, to take the test, because I’m like, man, if we don’t, if I don’t do this, what if they hire an outside chief, and that person, we don’t know what that person is going to be like,” Arndt said.
On May 5, Arndt was sworn-in as chief, with family present, including her fiance, Alyse Gallagher, herself a K9 officer in Manheim Township. Her salary is $123,497.
Arndt is just the third female chief of a Lancaster County police force, something she downplayed.
Arndt wants to hire officers to fill vacancies. Columbia is authorized for 21 officers, which includes the chief and one detective. Right now, the department has 16 officers. Another candidate is expected to graduate from the police academy at the end of June.
The department is working to become accredited by the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, which would show the department meets best-practices law enforcement standards.
Pennsylvania has more than 1,100 law enforcement agencies, but just 205 are accredited, according to the association. “And I really want to focus on community policing, too. I know everybody talks about that, but I’ve had a couple meetings with citizens,” Arndt said. “They want to get back to doing town hall meetings and interacting with the police, not just not on calls.”
Officer wellness is another priority. Two officers recently got Planet Fitness to donate gym equipment and a borough resident donated a heavy bag to the police department. Arndt just has to find a place where everything can be set up.
And in September, Arndt will take a course through the Fraternal Order of Police so she can train other officers to be on a peer support team, “so you always have resources. I’m really big into that.”
Pennsylvania Stands Up is building power with and for working people across the state! Are you someone that is eager to knock doors and get to know your neighbors and the issues that matter most? We are actively searching for a field organizer in Columbia Borough!
If interested submit a resume to Kareena@pastandsup.org
The last of three men who took part in a 2024 Columbia shooting sparked by a dispute over a missing cellphone has been sentenced to prison.
Lancaster County Judge Todd Brown sentenced Isaiah Jose Diaz, 22, of Columbia, to 2½ to six years in state prison on May 28 for two counts of aggravated assault, conspiracy and related offenses.
Diaz pleaded guilty to the charges on Feb. 12.
According to Columbia police, on Nov. 1, 2024, Diaz, Caelan Natrell Brown, 20, of Columbia, and J’vian Mendez-Gonzalez, 20, of Lancaster, tracked two men to a house on the 400 block of Avenue K after a fight at a smoke shop. Mendez-Gonzalez shot at the house.
Brown dropped his cellphone during the fight and Brown, Mendez-Gonzalez and Diaz mistakenly believed one of the men they were fighting took the phone.
Several people were inside the residence when the shooting happened, but no one was injured.
Diaz told police he supplied the guns and hid them in his apartment’s ceiling after the shooting, according to charging documents.
Brown pleaded guilty last August and was sentenced to two to five years in state prison.
Mendez-Gonzalez pleaded guilty to his role in the shooting in January and he pleaded guilty in several other cases including kidnapping, for forcing a woman to get in his car after an argument in August 2024 in Lancaster city, and a May 2024 simple assault in Lancaster city.
Mendez-Gonzalez was sentenced to a total of three to eight years in state prison for all the cases.
Columbia Borough Council has put the sale of former McGinness property on hold while officials look at drafting new regulations governing data centers, following community backlash. About 30 people attended the meeting, some of whom commented on the issue.
Council voted 7-0 at Tuesday’s meeting to table a second round of bids for the property, two weeks after unanimously rejecting the only offer received — a $6.35 million proposal from Saadia Holding LLC — during a contentious four-and-a-half hour meeting May 26. Council rejected the bid on procedural grounds, citing Saadia’s failure to guarantee payment within the required 60-day window. Council Vice President Heather Zink confirmed this week that Saadia’s proposal had included a data center.
Tabling the issue will allow council to work on a zoning ordinance amendment that would establish clearer rules for data centers in the light business zone covering the property. The amendment will be submitted to the Lancaster County Planning Commission following council’s June 23 meeting. One of the proposals being considered is a conditional-use requirement that would compel any developer seeking to build a data center in the zone to first obtain approval through a public hearing.
The borough’s total investment in the property now stands at $3.99 million, including $1.18 million from a state loan. The remaining roughly 17 acres of the original 58-acre parcel are designated to become a nature preserve.
Under state law, the borough may sell the property only through public auction, sealed bid, or transfer to a redevelopment authority. According to Evan Gabel, borough solicitor, if there are two rounds of no bids received, council would then be allowed to negotiate directly with prospective buyers.
Columbia Borough Mayor Leo S. Lutz[Columbia Spy file photo]
JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY
Columbia Mayor Leo Lutz officially proclaimed June 2026 as Pride Month in the Borough, after reading a formal proclamation at the June 9th Columbia Borough Council meeting.
The proclamation recognizes Pride Month as an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the contributions of LGBTQIA+ individuals at the local, national, and international level. It also notes that Columbia is strengthened by the diversity of its residents, and that LGBTQIA+ residents and visitors should feel “valued, safe, empowered and supported” by their peers, educators, and community leaders.
The proclamation stresses the importance of protecting LGBTQIA+ youth by stating that young people must be free to live “without fear, and live free from reprisal, discrimination or bullying.”
The proclamation reads:
“Whereas; this nation was founded upon the principles that every person is created equal, that each has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that each shall be accorded the full recognition and protection of law; and
Whereas; Pride Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the impact of LGBTQIA+ individuals locally, nationally, and internationally; and
Whereas; our community is strengthened by the rich diversity of our residents, and LGBTOIA+ residents and visitors should feel valued, safe, empowered and supported by their peers, educators, and community leaders; and
Whereas; it is essential that our LGBTQIA+ youth be accorded the freedom to be themselves without fear, and live free from reprisal, discrimination or bullying; and
Now Therefore, I Leo S. Lutz, Mayor of the Borough of Columbia, Pennsylvania proclaim June, 2026 as Pride Month in the Borough.
Columbia Spy 