Columbia Spy

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office has applied to join Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s task force program, which would provide specialized training for one of its detectives, according to an August 15, 2025 LNP article. This move comes as part of a broader expansion of ICE partnerships throughout the county, with five other law enforcement agencies already approved for the program since the beginning of the year.

According to the article, Erik Yabor, spokesperson for the district attorney, explained that ICE officials reached out to encourage the DA’s office to apply because one county detective already participates in the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force. The office intends to train only this same detective through ICE’s program, with no current plans to extend training to additional personnel.

The certification process requires 40 hours of online training and is limited to U.S. citizens with at least two years of law enforcement experience. According to Yabor, the purpose is to ensure the detective “has the knowledge and awareness of current practices so they can understand how to handle such cases as the need arises.” Importantly, the trained detective will not be tasked with conducting immigration searches or raids.

Columbia Borough takes stand against sanctuary policies
Last year, Columbia Borough Council passed a resolution pledging cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, positioning itself as a direct response to Lancaster City’s “Welcoming City” ordinance. At the March 12, 2024 council meeting, a 6-0 vote (with one absence) made Columbia the first local municipality to adopt what officials call a “non-sanctuary” resolution.

Council President Heather Zink said that while Columbia has been cooperating with ICE all along, the resolution serves as a public declaration of “where we stand.” The measure doesn’t materially change existing practice.

The resolution criticizes Lancaster City’s February 2024 ordinance, which codified a long-standing policy prohibiting city officials and police from asking about immigration status except when required by law or court order. Columbia’s resolution claims such policies create sanctuary cities that experience increases in migrant crimes and financial strain on social services.

Scope and limitations of local immigration enforcement
Borough Mayor Leo Lutz and Police Chief Jack Brommer clarified that Columbia police lack the authority and intent to engage in proactive immigration enforcement; officers cannot stop individuals solely to demand identification or question their immigration status.

Instead, the department takes a reactive approach. When individuals are detained for criminal activity, traffic violations, or outstanding warrants, officers may refer cases to ICE if evidence suggests undocumented status. Chief Brommer noted that such referrals “do not happen often.”

“Our officers cannot just walk up to someone and demand to see their identification,” Lutz said at the March 2024 meeting.

Regional response and political divisions
Oneunitedlancaster.com noted that contrasting approaches between Lancaster City and Columbia Borough reflect broader partisan divisions on immigration policy. Lancaster’s council is entirely Democratic, while Columbia’s is completely Republican.

Columbia officials expressed concerns about potential spillover from Lancaster’s welcoming policies, worrying that immigrants might relocate to the borough for lower housing costs. “Lancaster city can’t handle it,” Lutz said. “They’re going to spread out somewhere.”

Lancaster City Council President Amanda Bakay expressed disappointment with Columbia’s resolution, arguing it’s based on misinformation about Lancaster’s ordinance. She defended the city’s policy, stating that “codifying that long-standing policy into an ordinance makes our city a better place because residents will not be afraid to report crimes or make other requests to the city government,” according to a March 14, 2024 oneunitedlancaster.com article. 

Growing county-wide movement
Since Columbia’s declaration, several other municipalities have adopted similar resolutions, including Pequea, West Earl, East Cocalico, and West Cocalico townships. This local trend is part of a broader trend of Lancaster County law enforcement agencies either joining ICE task forces or applying for training programs.

The debate reflects national tensions over immigration policy, with advocates arguing that sanctuary cities do not experience higher crime rates, while opponents say that noncitizens account for a disproportionate number of federal criminal arrests.

[Sources: LancasterOnline, OneUnitedLancaster, Columbia Spy]

Burger King No 2605, 531 N. Third St., Columbia, Aug. 7. Pass. Observed a tan, slimy residue on the deflector plate of the ice maker. Observed lids for sodas stored with food contact surface exposed to hand contamination. The food facility does not have the original certificate for the certified food employee posted in public view. A working container of degreaser was stored on the same shelf with food equipment in the dishwashing area.

Foresters of America, 201 Locust St., Columbia, Aug. 7. Pass. No violations.

Turkey Hill No. 68, 342 Chestnut St., Columbia, Aug. 7. Pass. No violations.

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

A Columbia Borough resident’s request to keep chickens in his yard has prompted local officials to review current zoning regulations.

At the July 29 council meeting, Jesse Rabinowitz explained that his family has been growing more of their own food in response to rising costs. However, when he looked into raising chickens in his backyard, he found that borough ordinance requires properties to have at least 10,000 square feet – a threshold his property does not meet.

Rabinowitz asked council to reconsider the current ordinance, arguing that the square footage requirement prevents residents from keeping chickens. 

Mayor Leo Lutz said waste is the primary issue with backyard chickens. Borough Manager Steve Kaufhold said “We would have to change the zoning ordinance in order to do that, so we would need to look at at that internally,” Kaufhold told Rabinowitz, adding that his only recourse currently is to request a special exception from the zoning hearing board. Council President Heather Zink said council could put it on their legislation list.

In addition to the 10,000 feet requirement, current regulations require permits for any chicken coop or animal enclosure and mandate that such structures be placed at least 20 feet from residential buildings and 100 feet from food service establishments. 

Residents interested in keeping chickens are advised to contact Columbia Borough Hall for current regulations and permit requirements.

https://www.ydr.com/story/news/local/2025/08/12/york-county-cites-urgency-in-seeking-u-s-grant-for-route-462-bridge/85356614007/

Mark Kise painted this mural of Columbia poet and painter Lloyd Mifflin on the rear wall of the Foresters building, facing the Columbia Historic Preservation Society. The mural was completed in 2014.

Columbia artist Mark Kise is currently accepting new clients and commissions. Kise has been the proprietor of Kise Signs since 1972, which provides the following services:

• Computer generated vinyl graphics for truck, farm & fire applications 
• Hand lettering, gold leaf, pinstripes,wall murals & sign systems 
• Murals 
• Logo Design 
• Graphics 
• Banners 
• Graphic Design

Contact Mark Kise HERE.

The meeting packet is HERE.

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

The Columbia Market House costs taxpayers more than the revenue it generates because it operates as both a market and an event venue, according to borough officials. 

Columbia Borough Council discussed the financial viability of the market house during its August 7 workshop, with several members questioning whether the facility should continue functioning as both entities.

Councilman Eric Kauffman expressed concerns about the market house’s profitability. “I’ve tried so many different ways to justify the market house actually being profitable. Quite honestly I think it’s very hard,” Kauffman said.

Kauffman noted that the borough employs a full-time market manager (Bonnie Link) to cover events that often cost more than what they generate in revenue. He pointed to weddings as a particular example, explaining that while events require setup and teardown time, the borough only charges for about four hours of actual event time.

“We’re paying a full-time market manager to do events, and the events are costing us more than what they’re worth,” Kauffman stated. “If you start raising the value of events, you’re going to lose customers.”

As an alternative, Kauffman proposed scaling back operations to employ only a part-time market manager and focus solely on running the facility as a market rather than an event venue. “I don’t see it being a venue and being successful,” he said. “I think it’s very costly to be a venue.”

In May 2022, council was poised to vote on creating a part-time market manager position for 28 hours a week at $20 an hour, but Kauffman voiced concern that 28 hours was not enough to do the job successfully and $20 an hour was too low. Kauffman persuaded council to go with a full-time manager instead, which it did in a 6-1 vote. Councilwoman Sharon Lintner was the only no vote.

Councilwoman Barbara Fisher supported the part-time manager idea, recalling that she had originally suggested this approach when the position was first discussed. “I do think it could possibly work part-time,” Fisher said. She also voted to hire a full-time manager in 2022.

Mayor Leo Lutz agreed with Kauffman’s assessment, stating, “You’re right. We’re probably losing money on this.” Lutz also concurred that wedding events were causing staff burnout due to the long hours required. 

Councilman Todd Burgard questioned the feasibility of the current model, saying, “I don’t understand how it can be both [market and events venue]. I don’t think it’s conducive to be both things at one time.”

Kauffman suggested limiting events to no more than four per month at four hours each, which would keep staffing within part-time parameters and keeping Saturdays for market operations. 

Councilman Peter Stahl proposed a different approach, suggesting the borough enter into a commercial agreement with a restaurant or company that would rent and manage the space independently. However, Kauffman expressed reservations about allowing an outside entity to run borough properties.

Resident Sharon Lintner suggested that the borough hire two part-time managers instead of one full-time position to avoid paying benefits while ensuring adequate coverage.

Kauffman and Lutz noted that the market house is also unfairly competing with local businesses. “I have a problem with the market house trying to be a market and being an event holder – then we’re taking business from our other businesses,” Kauffman said.

Council President Heather Zink reminded council that financial losses were anticipated from the beginning. “I just want everyone to keep in mind that we knew going into this, it was never going to be profitable,” Zink said. “We were always going to lose money on this, that’s why CHI was willing to give the borough $65,000 a year because they knew that’s how much it was going to lose.”

Columbia Spy previously covered the CHI (Catholic Health Initiative) agreement HERE, which commenced in March 2019 and was initially set to run for five years. However, CHI terminated the agreement early, ending their involvement at the end of June 2022.

Commercial realtor Kevin Wolfe addressed Columbia Borough Council Thursday night at the August 7 workshop and presented options for the former McGinness property.

Data Center

Wolfe said a data center at the site is basically a no-go. According to Wolfe’s assessment, the lack of available electrical power prohibits this type of development. He said that substations in the area surrounding Columbia are maxed out, and a power diagnosis from PPL would cost the borough about $185,000. “For the size of the site and the amount of power that’s available, I just frankly don’t think it’s worth the borough’s time and effort to spend the money to do the power study and go down that route,” Wolfe explained.

He said that pursuing a data center would require extensive and costly power upgrades that would not justify an investment.

Industrial

The property’s current zoning as “light business” poses restrictions for potential industrial uses. Wolfe noted that warehousing and distribution facilities would be “very hard to achieve on the site” due to both zoning limitations and access constraints.

Recreational

One promising avenue is recreational development, however. Wolfe said that ongoing discussions with athletics clubs suggest that such organizations might be looking for land, but this option comes with financial trade-offs. While recreational facilities could provide some benefits, “they typically can pay the least amount of money that any other use can pay” in terms of generating tax revenue for the borough.

Retail
Perhaps the most financially attractive option is retail development, according to Wolfe. He said that multiple offers in the $2-3 million range have already been received for the property, with “big box grocery stores” and other retailers expressing interest in expanding into the area.

The retail sector presents both opportunities and challenges, Wolfe noted. While the site may have lower vehicle traffic counts and visibility compared to prime retail locations, it could succeed as a “destination retail” location rather than relying on impulse shoppers and high visibility.

“If it’s there, it can be had for a reasonable number, I think there’s likely some uses that you could use,” Wolfe noted, suggesting that the right retail venture could thrive at the location.

Office Space
Office development also remains on the table. Wolfe said that success will require “some significant marketing” regardless of which direction the borough ultimately chooses.

Conclusion

“There’s a couple different avenues that I believe could be successful for this site,” Wolfe said. “I think the office, the retail and even the recreational avenue, whether it be a park, an athletic facility, a golf course, whatever it might be, all are going to require some significant marketing.”