Columbus mayor talks about city, county drug task force dissolving

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus Mayor Keith Gaskin is weighing in on the dissolution of the Columbus-Lowndes County Drug Task Force.

Even though the City Council has not formally addressed the break up of the task force, the mayor spoke on the subject at his press conference today.

Last week, Columbus Police Chief Joseph Daughtry announced that he was pulling his officers from the unit.

That was followed by the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors voting on Monday to give the required 90-day notice of intent to withdraw.

Mayor Gaskin has been on the record as supporting city-county cooperation and cutting down on duplication of services when possible.

He also said there have been lingering questions about the interlocal agreement governing the task force.

He had been wanting a sit-down to discuss things.

“When the Chief and I were talking about this, I was very clear in that I wanted us to, I understand his concerns, but I felt it was important that we had a meeting with myself, the President of the Board of Supervisors, they two attorneys from the city and the county, and he and the Sheriff. I was under…So, I was a little surprised that it moved the way it did. I do support the chief’s decisions. I know he’s got a lot on his plate down there,” said Gaskin.

The mayor expressed an interest in having city and county leaders meet to discuss possible next steps.

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