Former code compliance manager to become Columbia Borough's new manager
What happened: Council members unanimously voted to hire a former code compliance head as the borough's new manager with an annual salary of $100,000.
: Steven Kaufhold, who served as code compliance manager for Columbia from 2017-19, was set to start his new position Sept. 23, council President Heather Zink said in a Sept. 17 phone call. He replaces Mark Stivers, who resigned in July.
Previous job: After leaving the borough, Kaufhold served as a project manager and estimator for the Lancaster County Housing & Redevelopment Authorities.
: Lancaster-based TriStarr Recruiting interviewed 48 first-round candidates, Zink said during the meeting. Three candidates then met with some council members. That interview number was low, Zink said, because most potential managers wanted more money.
: "Everyone wanted between $130,000 to $180,000 with eight weeks of vacation," Zink said. Joanne Price, another council member who interviewed candidates, said the borough didn't want to waste applicants' time. "We wanted to go where we were comfortable with paying," she said.
Moveable house: At least three parties have expressed interest in buying and moving a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house at 700 Franklin St. The 1,521-square-foot building is on the path of a new road and stormwater basin planned for the McGinness Innovation Park.
: Resident Frank Doutrich said he has toured the home because he may want to move it to a lot he owns. Doutrich also mentioned he spoke to someone else who is considering acquiring the property. Kaufhold spoke on behalf of the housing authority, telling council members his former organization would like to move the property.
: Borough engineer Derek Rinaldi said he is not sure any adjacent road is wide enough to permit a vehicle to carry the home to a new location. Columbia would pay about $20,000 to demolish the property if it can't relocate it.
: "If there is a way we can somehow get this house out of there so someone can use it, preferably in Columbia, that would be great," Mayor Leo Lutz said. "Let's use our heads a little bit and see if we can get it out of there."
: The borough would need to spend between $400-$500 to advertise the home's sale, solicitor Evan Gabel said. Columbia paid $229,200 for the property in 2022. Rinaldi said road construction will start next spring and urged council members to decide the home's fate by the end of October.
Code violations: The borough has responded to recent complaints about residential code violations, Lutz announced.
: "Codes (department) has been monitoring, and serious actions have been taken," Lutz told council members.
: Four residents complained at the Aug. 27 meeting about rental homes near their houses that had accumulated trash, bug infestations, tall grass and other problems.
: "We want to make sure our codes are as enforceable as they can be to ensure an acceptable quality of life in our neighborhoods," Zink said over the phone.
