Columbus City Council discusses contract for new Legislative Lobbyist
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Columbus City Council is taking a beat before they sign off on a new contract with their legislative lobbyists.
At February 18’s meeting, the council voted to table the renewal of its contract with lobbying firm W T Consultants.
Some on the Council and in other areas of city government were questioning whether the city was getting its money’s worth out of the partnership.
Mayor Keith Gaskin said he felt they had been slow to respond to questions in some areas, but on other matters, such as funding for the Amphitheatre and working with Mississippi’s Congressional delegation, they had been very helpful.
The firm works primarily with State legislators in Jackson, and Gaskin says they have the advantage of being there every day, while city leaders can’t be.
He and the council want to make sure the lobbyist partnership is a good fit.
“So, I think there are some real benefits to having a lobbyist, but I think it’s imperative that the Mayor and Council and the Executive Team here at the city have a good comfort level of where we are, and I think that’s what we’re trying to do here,” said Gaskin.
The Council may revisit the contract at its next meeting.
