COLUMBIA, Pa. — Columbia Borough Council on Thursday night accepted the resignation of Councilman Tom Ziegler and approved a settlement agreement with former codes manager Paula Diffenderfer.
Both votes came during council’s Nov. 5 workshop meeting.
Ziegler’s seat
Council voted to accept Ziegler’s resignation without discussion of his reasons. A speaker praised him before the vote, calling his departure “a big loss for our council” and “a big loss for the borough.”
“He’s very professional, even his dress,” the speaker said. “I don’t think there was a meeting that he never had a suit on.”
With the resignation accepted, the clock has started. Under state law, council has 30 days to appoint a replacement. Council members said the last meeting before that deadline would be Dec. 3.
Council said one person has already applied for the seat, and members have heard from others who are interested. Residents who want to be considered were told to email the borough at boroughmanager@columbiapa.net.
The settlement
Council also voted unanimously, with Ziegler not voting, to approve a resignation and settlement agreement with Diffenderfer, who resigned Oct. 26.
A council member described what the agreement includes:
- Payment of what the borough already owed her: accrued flex time, comp time, vacation and sick pay
- Continuing her borough health insurance through the end of November, instead of ending it at the end of October
Asked whether she would receive any other money beyond what she was owed, a council member answered: “None.”
The dollar amount is not written into the agreement, council said, because the total had not been calculated when it was drafted.
Asked whether the public could see the agreement, a council member said it could be requested under the state’s Right-to-Know Law, but that it can’t be released yet because it is still considered “predecisional.”
The Columbia Chronicle has filed a Right-to-Know request for the agreement and will report on it when it is released.
Diffenderfer’s departure drew an outpouring at council’s Oct. 27 meeting, where residents, landlords and her daughter questioned how it was handled, and two council members said the full council had never voted on it.