COLUMBIA, Pa. — Columbia Borough Council will vote Thursday night on the resignation of one of its own members and on a settlement agreement with the borough’s former codes manager, according to the agenda for the council’s workshop meeting.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, in the Paul W. Myers Council Chambers at the borough building, 308 Locust St. It will also be livestreamed on the borough’s YouTube channel.
Two resignations
Under new business, council is scheduled to accept the resignation of Councilman Thomas Ziegler. The agenda does not give a reason for his departure or say when it takes effect.
Council will also consider approving “the resignation and settlement agreement with Paula Diffenderfer.” Diffenderfer, the borough’s longtime codes manager, handled several jobs for the borough, including code enforcement and serving as second in charge of Right-to-Know requests, the law that lets the public see government records. She resigned Oct. 26. Council President Eric Kauffman confirmed to the Chronicle that her resignation came with a non-disclosure agreement. The meeting packet posted online does not give the terms of the agreement or say why she left.
Her departure took over council’s Oct. 27 meeting, as the Chronicle reported. Residents, landlords and planning commission members praised her work and asked who would now handle codes and rental inspections.
Her daughter, Caitlyn Sorenson, read aloud a letter she said she sent to then-Borough Manager Jack Brommer and Kauffman on April 5. In it, Sorenson wrote that her mother was being investigated over other employees’ complaints of a hostile work environment, and called those complaints retaliation for her mother’s efforts to hold coworkers accountable. She said she never received a response. One council member said the letter was never forwarded to her.
At that meeting, Councilperson Geesey said the full council never voted on Diffenderfer’s departure, and Councilperson Cooper called the borough’s handling of it “a disservice to her and to the borough and to our constituents.” Thursday’s agenda now lists the agreement for council approval.
The Chronicle has filed a Right-to-Know request for the separation agreement and called for it to be released and voted on in public. Columbia Spy also reported on those calls at the Oct. 27 meeting.
Budget talks continue
Council will also pick up where it left off on the 2027 budget. At its Oct. 21 budget workshop, council reviewed a draft that would lower the borough’s tax rate from 10 mills to a little above 5 mills after the county’s property reassessment, while still bringing in about 10% more in borough property taxes. That draft spent about $474,000 more than it expected to collect.
Thursday’s session will also include funding requests from community organizations.
Also on the agenda
- Monthly reports from finance, zoning and planning, the historic review board, public works, police, fire, EMS, emergency management, code enforcement and the Market House
- Citizen comments
- Board openings for one alternate on the Zoning Hearing Board and two alternates on the Planning Commission. Applications are considered through the 20th of each month.
Council’s next regular meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m.
The Columbia Chronicle will report on the outcome of Thursday’s meeting.