Columbus city leaders look to community to make decision on Propst Park

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Improvements to Propst Park in Columbus could hit a snag if some local residents have their way.

The Columbus City Council voted to approve the improvements. That included borrowing $3 million for the upgrades.

Some people who oppose the loan and the bonds want to force a referendum or a vote.

They have one week to collect 1500 qualified signatures. That’s 1,500 people who live in the city of Columbus and are also registered to vote in the city.

Mayor Keith Gaskin said he has asked for the community to sign a petition if they are against getting those extra funds and want to force a citywide vote. but some people in the community took a different route

“Recently people started sending in emails saying that they opposed it the question we had to clarify is a legal way for them to do that. Usually, it is on a petition like this where people have to sign their name and address and have to be legal voters within the city, and when they turn that in the city has to make sure every name on there is a valid voter in the city. Voters have until July 18 at 5 o’clock to have their signatures in,” said Gaskin.

Gaskin said he’s still checking with the secretary of state’s office to see if emails can be counted instead of people signing the petition because at this point he says there are more emails than signatures.

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