Columbus City Council votes to hire 2 part-time security guards at City Hall

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Columbus residents doing business at City Hall will soon see a couple of new faces.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, the City Council voted to hire two part-time security guards.

Mayor Keith Gaskin cited a number of reasons that city leaders and employees felt the need for a new level of security.

There have been incidents of employees walking into their offices to find someone already there, and there are visibility issues in parts of the 100-year-old building.

At a press conference Wednesday morning, a question was raised about where the money to pay the guards was coming from.

It’s an added cost late in the budget year, and they will be making about $20 an hour.

The city’s Chief Financial Officer said this year’s budget is in good shape.

“We’re below budget, which is a good thing. So, that means that we have the spare funds for this particular use, but if that’s not enough, then we will look into using the emergency funds,” said Jim Brigham, Columbus CFO.

The Council already approved the first hire, retired Columbus Police Officer Ronald Richardson.

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