W’burg City Hall now exchange site for online purchases

If you are buying something off of Craig’s List or a similar site and are looking for a safe place to make the exchange, then look no further than Williamsburg City Hall.

City leaders officially announced during Monday’s monthly city council meeting that city hall is being designated as a site where such exchanges can be made.

Councilman Loren Connell asked about establishing such an exchange site noting the recent killing of a University of the Cumberlands baseball player, who died while trying to buy a cell phone from someone he met online. The exchange ended up being a robbery attempt that went bad.

Zachary Finch was shot and killed on June 18 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Mayor Roddy Harrison said that he had been debating where to establish an exchange site, and decided on city hall because the police department is located there and it is well lit.

“People have called us in the past and we told them to come here,” Harrison said. “I think it is probably a good idea just to call city hall first and let us know you are going to be here. If it is late and you can’t get a hold of us, come here anyway … Since the death of the baseball player, I think it is a real good idea.”

In other business Monday, the council announced that the new water rates won’t go into effect until August.

Harrison said that city officials couldn’t get their billing software updated in time to add the increase to this month’s bill.

The new software program for the billing is about $3,500.