Columbia Borough School District received over $800,000 increase in state funding this year | Community News | lancasteronline.com

MORGAN HUBER | FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE

When: Columbia Borough school board meeting, Nov. 20.

What happened: Following a five-month state budget delay, the district learned it received $14.4 million in state funding following the approval of the 2025-26 budget, an $828,300 increase from last year and substantially more than officials said they expected.

Background: The amount includes $11.3 million in basic education funding, as well as $2.03 million for special education and $1.09 million in Ready to Learn funds, Keith Ramsey, business manager, said. The most notable increase was for programming under the Ready to Learn block grant, for which Columbia Borough received a nearly $800,000 increase in support.

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https://lancasteronline.com/news/regional/columbia-borough-school-district-received-over-800-000-increase-in-state-funding-this-year/article_35b4ea3f-89a1-491f-a028-5b2eb525b132.html

The root cause of Columbia Borough’s budget crisis: Overspending?

Borough officials ponder the numbers at Thursday’s budget meeting. (L-R: Finance Manager Brian Christensen, Assistant Borough Manager Ron Youtz, Interim Borough Manager Jack Brommer.)

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

As things currently stand, Columbia Borough Council will need to cover a projected $1.1 million budget shortfall, either by raising taxes or using reserves—or a combination of both. 

At the November 20, 2025 budget workshop meeting, council more or less agreed not to raise taxes this year (for 2026), since it had done so in 2024, but using reserves alone will leave little or no financial cushion in case of emergencies or other unexpected costs throughout the year.

At the meeting, attendee John Evans questioned how things got to this point. “Obviously at some point this became evident that you’re going to have a shortfall,” he said. “It just didn’t happen overnight. There’s things called audits, but there’s other things that were signs.” 

“There’s a root cause somewhere,” Evans continued. “I don’t know what it is. Somewhere there’s a root cause, and this has happened. Do we know what it is, and was it addressed? You keep talking about this million dollars. How did this all happen? Is it one department? Was it a misstep? Was it an audit? What happened? What caused this to happen?”


Heather Zink, council president, replied: “I think the root cause is that our cost to provide the services has gone up exponentially, and we are limited in the way that we can generate revenue.”

Although those are contributing factors, they’re not the root cause of the problem. According to previous borough officials and others, the root cause is overspending—on staff and capital projects.

Meiskey: “You need to pull the reins in.” [Photo: 6/11/18 meeting]

● For example, at the June 11, 2018 Columbia Borough Council meeting, former borough manager Norm Meiskey told council, “It’s important that you differentiate between ‘nice to have’ and ‘must have.’ It’s taxpayers’ dollars. You need to pull the reins in.”

Denlinger (foreground): “You’re spending more than you bring in…” [File photo]

● At the November 1, 2018 council meeting, Rebecca Denlinger, then the borough manager, warned then-Council President Kelly Murphy: “You’re spending more than you bring in, and personnel is our largest cost, and so you have to be smart about the decisions you’re making. Was part of the plan to say, okay, when we run out of fund balance, we’re just going to hike taxes a whole bunch?”

Meiskey: “You don’t have a revenue problem—you have a spending problem, and you need to fix it and not put on the taxpayers to allow the erosion of their standard of living because you can’t fix the problem.” [Photo: 12/13/18 meeting]

● At the December 13, 2018 budget meeting, Meiskey cited an increase in the number of borough employees as another factor behind the 2018 tax hike: “We’ve hired people, and we’ve hired them to a point where you’re looking at tax increases. That’s not helping this borough whatsoever. It’s certainly not going to help the taxpayers. You’ll be taxing senior citizens out of their homes. It’s a very serious matter.”

“I don’t know why council is so hell-bent on eroding the standard of living in Columbia Borough,” Meiskey said. “You need to fix the problem. You have a spending problem. You need to realize it.”

Meiskey continued: “Ladies and gentlemen, you don’t have a revenue problem—you have a spending problem, and you need to fix it and not put on the taxpayers to allow the erosion of their standard of living because you can’t fix the problem. You need to fix the problem. You have a spending problem. You need to realize it.”

● At the January 14, 2020, Columbia Borough Council meeting, Meiskey said, “It’s incumbent upon the borough manager to take direction from council, and you could have easily directed that to the borough manager and have a budget plan prepared. In this case, with $870,000 involved, that plan would have had a number of action items, not the least of which is certainly a restructuring. Position changes, attrition plan—it would have encompassed all that. But again, that didn’t happen.”

Meiskey also said: “I cannot possibly work with a council that leaves an atrocious budget plan—particularly the general fund with $870,000 in planned overspending of revenues and onerous taxation of property owners—in place for 2020, Immediate corrective action was required, but the can was kicked down the road.” He noted that council had overspent by almost half a million dollars in 2017, and over $2 million in 2018.

Stivers: “We’ve been borrowing money to pay the bond.” [File photo]

● Former Borough Manager Mark Stivers said at a 2022 council meeting, “We’ve been borrowing money to pay the bond” and described it as an “albatross.” Stivers asked council to consider a “16-year plan” to pay off the debt. As an option, Zink suggested a special tax levy, which could entail raising taxes 1.5 mills to make annual payments of $691,000 for 16 years. ($691,000 multiplied by 16 equals $11,056,000.) Bizarrely, Stivers said council has been “blessed” with the opportunity to solve this problem.

● Mike Reiner, CPA with Sager, Swisher & Co., presented an audit report to council at its June 7, 2022 meeting. According to LNP: Columbia Borough Council publicly received the results of its 2021 audit with a warning. Reiner noted the municipality consistently is reducing its cash position by spending down its capital fund.

In 2022, council had to resort to borrowing $1.358 million from reserves to balance the budget and avoid a tax hike. At that time, there was about $2 million in reserves.

The borough’s cash assets were $2.9 million at the end of 2021, down $1.8 million since 2020. This result continues a four-year trend of declining cash balances, Reiner said. “That is concerning,” Reiner told council members. The borough’s capital fund pays for projects that could include buildings and roads. A separate general fund pays for running the municipality.”

Currently, other expenses include about $150,000 a year to operate the Market House and $75,000 a year for Columbia Crossing, which currently needs $400,000 in repairs. (Columbia Borough taxpayers pay for all maintenance at the Crossing building, and all rental proceeds go to Susquehanna Heritage.)

There are other issues: a hoped-for sale of the borough’s wastewater treatment plant and borough sheds, as well as the former firehouse on Front Street. The plant and the firehouse properties are currently being leased out, and the sheds are still being used by the borough. The borough hopes the sale of these properties will help pay for the move of the highway department to the former Columbia Reduction Company at Ridge Avenue and 11th Street. The borough wants to move the highway department there at a cost of $1.35 million for the building plus an additional $2-3 million for cleanup and renovation of the property. The sewer plant and firehouse were expected to be sold by September of 2023 but so far haven’t moved.
*****************NOTE: The borough’s livestream failed for the November 20, 2025 budget meeting (and the November 18 Planning Commission meeting). There was no audio, and the above image appeared on the screen. Columbia Spy audio-recorded the budget meeting. 

About Town—November 23, 2025

 This week’s photos of Columbia 

Click on photos to see larger, sharper images. 

Left to right: Ethan Byers, Jeanne Cooper, and Brad Chambers distributed turkeys and other goods at a giveaway at Columbia’s Lancaster Distilleries Friday night (11/21/25). Ethan and Jeanne are councilors-elect, and Brad is a 2026 candidate for the PA State House.

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Low flyover Tuesday morning, November 18, 2025. The front of the plane has the presidential seal. (Cell phone photos)

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Skies and clouds and trails

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Leaves and leaves and leaves

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Columbia’s favorite bridge

The tape’s down.

Real estate

Where was it?

A meeting of the Bulldog Society?

Free community meal

The Habitat for Humanity Linden Street Build 

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It might be needed in the near future. 

Blessed . . .

The flag

Civil War bridge piers

The Von Hess building on Bank Avenue is being renovated as part of a larger project that includes the Wright’s Ferry Mansion and a cottage on the grounds. Columbia Spy published details of the project HERE.

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According to a police Crimewatch post, the Lancaster Area Sewer Authority (LASA) will be completing a project on the 400-700 blocks of Manor Street from November 2025 to February 2026.  The focus of the project is to realign the sewer laterals.  Parking may be prohibited in certain areas during the completion of the project and residents are encouraged to follow the No Parking signs posted in the area.

(The Lancaster City pipeline project is scheduled to begin in February 2026 and will include most of Manor Street.)

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Something’s happening at the Federal Metal Company building (formerly Colonial Metals) on North 2nd. A source has told Columbia Spy that components of the building, including ductwork and a large propane tank, have been removed and taken to Sahd Salvage.

Across the street: a new company—Martin CFS—has moved in.

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Iron Eagle Excavating aiming to finish the McGinness remediation/stabilization project by Thanksgiving. 

Dust continues to be a problem at the site.

Various objects, debris, and outright junk buried on the site were uncovered . . .

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Capital Coating was at Columbia Crossing for another roof repair.  The cost this time is about $12,000.

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What’s happening down at the Von Hess building?

The Von Hess building on Bank Avenue

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

The Von Hess building on Bank Avenue is being renovated as part of a larger project that includes the Wright’s Ferry Mansion and a cottage on the grounds.

The three buildings are being transformed into a year-round campus that will include renovated exhibition spaces and enhanced public access to one of Pennsylvania’s colonial landmarks.

For details, one has to look back to the March 18, 2025 Planning Commission meeting in which Ben Morton, a landscape architect with RGS Associates, and James Abbott, executive director of the Wright’s Ferry Mansion and the Louise Steinman Von Hess Foundation, presented details of the project to commission members.

Part of the project includes reactivating the Von Hess building, sometimes known as the “railroad building,” at the rear of the Wright’s Ferry Mansion, on Bank Avenue.

The building was designed by architect Frank Furness and was stabilized by the Von Hess Foundation about 20 years ago, according to Abbott. The plan is to develop a permanent exhibition there that will feature a story-and-a-half mulberry tree installation introducing visitors to Susanna Wright’s vision for a colonial silk industry.

The renovated building will also tell the story of Wright’s diplomatic negotiations with Native cultures, her friendships with Benjamin Franklin and James Logan, and the Wright family’s legacy. The space will include hands-on components and artifacts from archaeological excavations at Columbia River Park.

Improvements will include a river-facing entrance to the building, pedestrian walkways to a new parking area, and an enhanced crossing of Bank Avenue featuring textured paving—possibly cobblestones—and a raised speed table for pedestrian safety. A wooden guardrail will protect the building while directing foot traffic to designated crosswalks.

The Cottage
Additional project initiatives include converting the cottage at 38 South Second Street into a gallery containing the personal art collection of Richard C. and Louise Steinman Von Hess, who purchased and restored the mansion in 1973. The cottage will also house an expanded research library, with an annex in the railroad building.

The Wright’s Ferry Mansion on South 2nd Street

The Wright’s Ferry Mansion
“We see the house as an artifact,” Abbott explained, noting that the Wright’s Ferry Mansion—built by Susanna Wright in 1738—will continue operating under strict preservation protocols. Abbott said tours are limited to protect original floorboards, plaster, and furnishings; the museum currently welcomes under 4,000 visitors annually during its May through October season, with tours capped at 10 people to minimize wear and tear. 

Renovations will include a western terrace with a rain garden for stormwater management, according to Morton. Native plantings from the 1700-1750 period will be installed behind the mansion’s Second Street fence, and the foundation plans to establish a clover lawn on the front grounds. Additional cameras and lighting are also planned.

The project spans five parcels, with properties zoned for downtown and riverfront commercial use. Abbott noted that cultural center museums are permitted by right in both zones.

No tax increase for Columbia but only by draining reserves

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Council might avoid raising taxes for 2026 but only by depleting the borough’s financial reserves.

After a meandering discussion at Thursday’s budget meeting, council members informally agreed to advertise the budget “as is,” presumably meaning no increase in taxes. No millage increase was proposed.

As it currently stands, council will need to cover a projected $1.1 million shortfall by draining the borough’s reserve fund, which currently holds that amount—if it wants to avoid a tax increase. 

The move means Columbia will enter the new year with no emergency funds and no financial cushion for unexpected expenses that may arise during 2026.

Council will likely vote to advertise the budget at its next meeting on November 25 and vote to pass the budget sometime in December.