The Columbia Borough Council spent a large portion of its November meeting debating a request from the Columbia volunteer fire company for sustained municipal support to cover apparatus and operating costs.

At the meeting a fire-department representative, Jared, told council "The fire department is asking for a total of $300,000," and said that amount would cover the department's existing $111,000 payment and the ladder-truck yearly payment while allowing the company to build a replacement fund. Jared argued the funding was needed to shore up volunteer capacity and the department's long-term viability.

Several council members said they understood the department's needs but worried about the borough's fiscal position. One councilmember said, "I would like to see a committee formed and for this to be added later at a later date and not with this current budget," arguing the borough should research alternatives such as purchasing used apparatus, regionalizing services or creating a dedicated fire tax.

Other councilmembers favored leaving a placeholder line in the advertised budget so a future council could act. A different member said they trusted department leaders and noted prior conversations that identified apparatus and funding needs; another urged transparency about whether funds would be spent if the line remains in the final budget.

Council discussed several concrete options: 1) form a committee to study financing and procurement (including used apparatus from larger cities); 2) create a separate fire tax or reallocate millage so taxpayers can see where the money goes; 3) place funds in capital if the borough owned the asset or leave an operating placeholder pending a later vote. Members noted legal and timing constraints for tax ordinances and budget advertising.

No final appropriation to buy a truck was made at the meeting. The council voted to authorize staff to advertise the 2026 budget for public inspection (a required step), with the understanding that a final adoption vote will occur at a later meeting. Several members asked staff to convene the suggested committee and produce options and cost estimates before a binding commitment is made.

Next steps: the council left the proposed budget on public inspection and directed further research and committee work on the fire funding question; any ordinance to change millage would require separate advertising and a subsequent vote.