A rose to the Columbus City Council for tabling a motion to renew the city’s contract with its lobbying firm until the firm provides information about the work it has performed this year. Jackson-based Worth Thomas Consulting has served as the city’s lobby firm with the state legislature for the past three years, but plans for a renewal of the contract were put aside when Ward 3 Councilman Rusty Greene asked for documentation of the work performed on the city’s behalf. After some discussion, the council voted 3-2 to table the subject until the firm can provide that information. This should not necessarily be taken as a criticism of the firm. The information it produces may be sufficient to assure the council that the contract should be renewed. But as it is with all taxpayer dollars entrusted to the city council’s care, there should be a reasonable and verifiable accounting for those dollars. We believe the council is justified in asking for this information before making a decision about a renewal of Worth Thomas Consulting’s contract.

A rose to the Magnolia Film Festival as it wraps up its 28th annual production Saturday at UEC Starkville Hollywood Premiere Cinemas. Over the years, “The Mag” has grown from a small event featuring a handful of films to a festival that showcases 34 films from six countries and seven states in addition to the 18 films produced by Mississippians. Festival director Chris Misun noted this year’s festival focused on the contributions of women filmmakers. In addition to the film screenings, which included four full-length productions, the festival featured Q&A sessions with some of the film producers, providing their insights for would-be filmmakers in attendance. The popularity of the Mag has made it one of the city’s top attractions and, no doubt, the envy of other communities in the state. Well-done to all who have worked to make this year’s festival a continued success.

A rose to the Forge Foundation for staging its first Career Interview Day on Thursday at the Communiversity. More than 800 high school students brought resumes to the event then participated in mock job interviews with professionals in fields ranging from medicine to truck sales to the military. For many people, the first opportunity to go through the job interview process comes when actually seeking work, so this event provides a great opportunity to go through the process where the stakes aren’t that high. Students learned not only about the process but about areas where they could improve their presentation, making them more attractive to employers. FORGE, or Family Organizations Recruiting Great Employees, was established in 2018 as a collective of Golden Triangle construction companies that aim to increase vocational training and maintain a large labor pool for its member businesses, but Thursday’s event was expanded to include careers in other fields as well. The work FORGE has done in preparing students for their first job is of immeasurable value. We commend the organization on continuing to improve and expand job and career learning opportunities.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.