Author: SPY

State tax relief program shrinks property bills for Columbia Borough School District homeowners | Community News | lancasteronline.com

When: Columbia Borough School board meeting, May 15.

What happened: Columbia Borough school board approved an amount of $610.85 per home in property tax reduction in 2025-26 under the state Homeowner Tax Relief Act, an increase from $522.85.

What it means: This state funding source means 1,815 qualifying properties in Columbia Borough should expect the highest tax reduction rate in recent years. The impact of this state tax relief measure is considerable for Lancaster County’s smallest and one of its poorest districts. The funding allowed the school board May 6 to approve a proposed final budget that will cut taxes by 3% for the 2025-26 school year.

Background: The goal of the homestead and farmstead exclusion legislation passed in 2006 is to reduce school district reliance on the real estate tax; this is achieved by putting in place new funding options, including local personal or earned income taxes and funds from gaming.

Tax rate: The real estate tax rate for Columbia will be 25.66 mills. One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. For a house assessed at $100,000, the annual tax bill in 2025-26 will be $2,566, down from $2,646 for the year now ending.

https://lancasteronline.com/news/regional/state-tax-relief-program-shrinks-property-bills-for-columbia-borough-school-district-homeowners/article_ff7e651f-7c1d-42f9-81eb-f49aff723da8.html

Columbia loses another finance manager in an emerging pattern of departures

Former Finance Manager Michelle Jenkins

At Tuesday’s meeting, Columbia Borough Council voted to ratify the termination of Finance Manager Michelle Jenkins, ending her six-month tenure with the borough. Council also voted to advertise for a new finance manager.

During citizens’ comments at the beginning of the meeting, resident Sharon Lintner asked if Jenkins is banned from borough property. Heather Zink, council president, replied that she couldnt answer that, because she didn’t know. At the March 27, 2025 council meeting, Mayor Leo Lutz said a property ban is “standard procedure” that had occurred “quite a few times in the past.” In answer to a resident’s question about who had been banned, Lutz replied: “Probably everybody that left, including officers. It’s a standard management decision.” (Former Market House Manager was banned from borough property when he was terminated earlier this year.)

Jenkins, who began working for the borough in December 2024, is the latest loss in an emerging pattern of finance department turnover during the past few years.

Background

In December 2020, accountant Quetsy Perez-Yates departed, followed quickly by Finance Manager Kyle Watts in January 2021. Watts had served in the position for two years.

In January 2021, Amanda Lubold from Tri Star Temp Services was hired as a full-time accountant for a term of three months. After three months, consideration was to be made whether to hire her as a permanent employee. However, in February 2021, the borough employed the accounting firm BGA&F. Accountants Peter Barsz and Amanda J. Gattuso from BGA&F managed borough finances in early 2021.

In June 2021, council hired Tammy Bennett for the position at an annual salary of $65,407. Then-Borough Manager Mark Stivers and Peter Barsz had interviewed three candidates from a pool of seven applicants before recommending Bennett for the position. Bennett served for three years before announcing her resignation in July 2024. 

In September 2024, the borough hired Karen Weiss for the position of finance manager at $72,000 a year. Weiss abruptly quit after a short time. In October 2024, council advertised for a new finance manager and hired Jenkins at a salary of $72,000 per year at its November 26 meeting.

Deeds Recorded – Columbia Borough – May 27, 2025

Meteer Thomas, Meteer Janet Marie conveyed 149 S. Fourth St. to Swope Angela, Boone Derek for $285,000.

Diehl Schiable Rebecca B., Schiable Rebecca B. Diehl conveyed 121 S. 10th St. to Ferguson Thomas James, Diehl Schiable Rebecca B., Schiable Rebecca B. Diehl for $1.

Kathy S. Williams conveyed 133 S. Fifth St. to Jason Velazquez for $141,000.

About Town – May 25, 2025

 This week’s photos of Columbia 

Click on photos to see larger, sharper images. 

It rained so much last week that this person used two umbrellas. 

Holly Love collected flags to replace those that were stolen at Laurel Hill Cemetery.  She and others placed them on veterans’ graves.

WGAL showed up to cover the event. 

Here are some flags on Chestnut Street.

The bus doesn’t stop here anymore, but the sign’s still there (way up there) on the 500 block of Chestnut. 

New blacktop just off Heritage Drive 

Sign at CHiPS

PPL removed the electric meter at 700 Franklin Street, in preparation for the upcoming demolition. 

Chalk art at Locust Street Park 

Another photo shoot on Front Street 

Where it all happens, right or wrong, good or bad.

Now accepting EBT at 234B Locust Street. 

Note the address. It used to be labeled as 236.

Not the beginning of Apocalypse Now, just a patch of bamboo.

At 5th & Cherry

For lease, for rent

New sheriff in town 

More roofwork at Columbia Crossing 

ICE is in town.

About that rain – there was a lot of it.

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“Sleep till the day breaketh”

Flag maintenance 

A former nightclub on Union

Raspberries 

A notice on a truck on South 4th

Paintings on the truck

And there’s the truck.

Racecar on Manor

At the borough farm

[Submitted photo]

House fire Sunday afternoon at 623 Chestnut Street 

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