The Selma City Council decided Tuesday to mothball all but the riverfront rooms at the historic St. James Hotel.

The move was made to reduce expenses and was long overdue. The St. James had cost the city of Selma about $25,000 a month going back to March 2015. A maintenance man and the five longest serving employees will be kept on a rotating schedule and the hotel’s bar will only be open on Friday evening.

Council members also decided Tuesday that the hotel’s first floor will be kept open for about 10 to 15 events that have been booked between now and the end of the year.

While we understand why the city wants to keep the commitments it has already made, it’s not realistic or in Selma’s best interest to add any other events.

Mayor George Evans said no events would be scheduled after Sept. 15, and we hope the city sticks to that deadline.

After all, this is all about saving the city money.

Following recent staff cuts, but before Tuesday’s decision, councilman Cecil Williamson had estimated the hotel would cost about $190,000 a year to operate. It’s unclear what the operating cost will be after Tuesday’s decision.

At some point, we hope to see the St. James Hotel back open and filled with guests. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case over the last year. Mothballing the rooms and cutting expenses was the right move for now.