Borough council voted to buy a trolley Monday night. The trolley will be provided by Elite Coach of Ephrata for $39,900. (Voting was unanimous among the five councillors present. Sherry Welsh was absent, and Stephanie Weisser has rendered her resignation, effective December 1.)
The trolley is a 1993 model with 53,000 miles and was used previously by the borough during the Columbia lantern tour. Public Works Director Ron Miller took a test drive/ride for several miles recently and described the vehicle’s engine and transmission as “excellent” and presented council with an extensive written report. He called the venture “not a frivolous investment whatsoever.” The trolley is air-conditioned and comes with a lifetime supply of vehicle filters. Councillor John Novak said the same trolley in today’s dollars would cost $200-250,000 new.
Council had originally planned to employ the services of Rivertowne Trolley Company again in 2017 until a sudden opportunity surfaced to buy its own trolley. The issue normally would have gone through committee before being presented to council, but councillors felt the matter warranted quick action due to other parties interested in acquiring the vehicle. Columbia paid $30,600 last year to rent Rivertowne’s trolley.
Councillor Cleon Berntheizel said, “I look at this as an investment in the borough.”
Columbia Spy 
the police aren't horrible!!!!!!!! they can't hire more officers, but they have money for this CRAP!!!!!!!!
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O.K., NOW I MUST STEP IN! JUST BECAUSE THERE ARE LOTS OF IDIOTS RUNNING THIS TOWN, ON THE COUNCIL, DON'T TRY TO THROUGH THE POLICE OFFICERS INTO THE FIRE!! THE PERSONS SAYING THESE THINGS ABOUT THE POLICE, ARE PROBABLY THE SAME PERSONS THAT OUR POLICE OFFICERS HAVE TO DEAL WITH, ALL THE TIME, IN THE NEGATIVE WAY!! YOU SHOULD BE BRAVE AND SMART ENOUGH TO BE AN OFFICER OF THE LAW, WHO ARE CERTAINLY VERY SERVING AND PROTECTING YOUR BUTT! TODAY BEING AN OFFICER OF THE LAW IS ONE, IF NOT THE MOST, DANGEROUS AND MOST UNAPPRECIATED JOB IN THE COUNTRY! THEY RECEIVE NO RESPECT, BUT ARE EXPECTED TO DO EVERYTHING FROM BABYSITTING YOUR KIDS TO TAKING YOUR INSULTS OR WORSE! COME ON MR.OR MS. R. CITIZEN, LETS GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE! AS FAR AS SPENDING YOUR TAX MONEY, COMPLAIN ABOUT THE ONES DOING THIS, LIKE THE COUNCIL AND ALL THE 'INDIAN CHIEFS' IN THE MUNICIPAL OFFICE, NOT THE POLICE DEPT.!
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Totally agree. Just remember how our police handled the sniper situation. Very professional. Problem is with council.
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Interesting information….if in fact the borough council made this purchase without following the bidding guidelines as regulated in the PA Borough Code, Section 1402, Title 8 of the PA Consolidated Statutes, those members voting for the purchase may have committed a misdemeanor of the third degree as stated in section 1403, “evasion of advertising requirements” of the same statute. Without knowing all the facts, I can not say for sure of a violation of the law occurred. For example, if the trolley was purchased via a state contract, no bidding would be required. Regardless, perhaps the District Attorney should be looking into this matter, if for no other reason, to make sure everything is on the up and up.
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The current council is going down a slippery slope with their spending practices. The “wishes” of a few (aka the Coffee Club) is not the wants of many. But if you go to a meeting, they definitely do not want to hear ideas of people if it is not in agreement with the process.
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Our police department is undermanned and our streets need a fixing. can't wait till the Coffee Club Trolley goes up Walnut Street and has an axle break. Oh wait, oh never mind.
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Question of Ethics. Read where Coffee Cle's CDDC is getting money from the borough for a bags and flags program downtown? Did Coffee Cle abstain from any vote on this or the budget as a whole because of this. Serious conflict of interest and morals.
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Bag & Flags? $10,000 of taxpayers money in the Spring of 2016. Bags are not completed and cannot hold much, and the flags not to be seen! Maybe 2017 will be the year.
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How long does this order take to process? Columbia's order has to be small. Let the businesses purchase their own matching bags don't continue making taxpayers fund business ventures. Same with trolley, “hop on-hop off” so visitors patronize businesses. Why don't the businesses pay for the trolley? It is not taxpayers responsibility.
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Clearly you don't go to council meetings.
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