Resident Sharon Littner asked the Columbia Borough Council on Aug. 7 who has been covering the finance manager duties since the position was vacated.

Littner said, "It's been a couple months now, a little over two months since the finance manager position was vacated. And I wondered who has been doing that role? I mean, who's been filling in." She also asked whether staff who take on extra duties are sometimes compensated.

The council said an independent contractor named Brown has been available in the office and that a staff member named Lori has been "doing a lot of extra financial work just holding down the fort." Council members said searches are under way and that people are being interviewed for the borough manager role and other vacancies.

Council representatives told the meeting that the borough manager normally selects and supervises staff while the council approves final hires and determines salary levels. One council speaker summarized the usual division of responsibility: the borough manager hires managers and staff; the council sets salary levels and approves final appointments.

Speakers at the meeting raised frustration about the pace and transparency of hiring. One resident, Frank Altric, asked how many candidates had been interviewed for the borough manager position and described hearing that only one candidate had been considered so far. Council members responded that multiple applicants had applied at times and that some did not meet the council's stated criteria.

Council members said they continue to work to recruit qualified candidates and that more detail would be provided as the search progresses. Littner and other residents urged the council to weigh interim compensation for staff taking on extra duties and to share clearer timelines for hiring.

The council did not adopt any new policies or authorize binding expenditures during the workshop; members said existing hiring rules and the borough manager's hiring role remain in effect and that the search process is ongoing.