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Residents press Columbia council on bid responsiveness, meeting decorum and data-center plans
Summary
Multiple residents criticized a recent bid process and a contentious prior meeting, and raised alarm about a borough-owned parcel and prospective data-center uses; council discussed zoning tools, state bills and agreed to ask staff to draft letters to lawmakers opposing preemption of local zoning.
Citizens used a lengthy public‑comment period at Columbia Borough Council’s workshop to press officials on a range of concerns, including procurement procedures, meeting security and a controversial borough property that residents fear could host a data center.
Sharon Littner said she attended the May 18 bid opening and was told the bid was "responsive," but later discovered a state‑referenced 60‑day requirement appeared to be missing. "It seems the bid should have been rejected long before it became an agenda item," she said, adding that the public should have been notified sooner. Council staff replied that at the opening they verified required documents were present (for example a timeline) but did not examine every detail and that responsiveness in that procedural sense does not require meeting the council’s substantive expectations.
Frank Gautrick criticized council’s handling of a recent public meeting, saying officials failed to control unruly behavior and questioning whether security measures were adequate. Council members responded that their role includes listening to public comment and that officers were stationed and prepared to act if a safety threshold had been crossed. A council member summarized: the concern was not only crowd size but behavior that raised safety risks.
Residents also raised the borough-owned parcel and the possibility it could be used for data centers. Speakers urged council to adopt strict local rules; council and staff cautioned that state case law limits exclusionary zoning and that some statewide bills would further constrain municipal control. Damian Barn proposed local tax measures and zoning text amendments aimed at limiting or economically mitigating data-center impacts. Council members said they would pursue a text amendment to define where data centers are allowed and discussed compiling model ordinance language to minimize community impacts.
Recognizing statewide activity, the council discussed several bills—House Bill 2155 and Senate Bill 1239 among them—that would limit municipalities’ ability to impose minimum parking or to control land-use in certain zones. Members asked staff to draft letters to their state representative and senator urging opposition to measures that would preempt local zoning authority; council agreed to place a motion on the next regular meeting agenda to formally direct staff to send the letters.
What’s next: Council directed staff to prepare ordinance advertisement for the rental code (see separate item) and to draft draft letters to state legislators opposing preemptive bills; the matter of the borough parcel and data-center restrictions will return for further hearings and ordinance drafting.
