Video: Lowndes County and City of Columbus Still at Odds Over Gun Range and 911 Board

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – Four days before the Governor is to dedicate a new high-tech gun range, Columbus and Lowndes county leaders also are at odds over who will oversee the facility.

The finishing touches are going on the one point eight million dollar range built for Columbus Air Force Base and local law enforcement.

Mayor Robert Smith wants Police Chief Tony Carleton to oversee it, but county supervisors disagreed today.

They say the city didn’t have trained personnel and contributed less money. They voted to have the sheriff’s department manage it and to pay all the annual costs.

The disagreement could also be discussed at Tuesday’s council meeting.

The two governments are also at odds over another shared service.

Columbus could pull its funding from local 911 service unless the city and County can work out their differences.

Today, supervisors stuck by their plan to return the E-911 oversight board to one member from each of the county’s five supervisor districts instead of 7 or 9 members.

The Sheriff, EMA Director, and city Police and Fire Chiefs would be non-voting advisory members.

City council members want half the votes on the board because the city provides half the funding.

Supervisors say the proposed plan helps avoid conflicts and insures the board receives good advice. The city council may take the issue up Tuesday night.