The Selma City Council decided Tuesday to mothball all but the riverfront rooms at the St. James Hotel as a way to save money.

The council also voted to close the hotel’s kitchen and bar except on Friday evenings.

The changes go into effect Sept. 15 through the end of the year or the sale of the hotel.

The first floor will be kept open for about 10 to 15 events that have been booked between now and the end of the year, including one wedding. Anyone using the building will have to provide a caterer and will be responsible for clean up.

A maintenance man and the five longest-serving employees will be kept on a rotating schedule. At one time, the hotel had more than 20 employees.

The employees will be responsible for cleaning rooms, doing laundry, answering the phone and assisting guests.

City Councilwoman Susan Keith made the motion to cut the expenses.

Since March 2015, the hotel has cost the city about $25,000 more per month than it generates.

Councilwoman Angela Benjamin said she was concerned about the hotel losing its liquor licenses and how that would affect the city’s entertainment district.

“If either one of our bars drops out, so goes our district,” Benjamin said.

As a compromise, the council decided to keep the bar open on Friday evenings.

Councilmen Cecil Williamson and Greg Bjelke abstained from the vote, which the rest of the council supported.

There was also discussion about the events that have already been booked at the hotel. Mayor George Evans said events would no longer be scheduled after Sept. 15.

Of the 10 to 15 events planned, only one, the wedding, has been prepaid. That guest had planned to use the hotel for food.

Evans said he would work through that and find a solution.

“If y’all allow me to work through that I will. Let me handle that please,” Evans said.

The city had already cut back on St. James staff in the past two months, which was going to save approximately $10,000 a month.

Williamson estimated the hotel would still cost $190,000 to operate next year. It’s not clear how much the cuts approved Tuesday night will save.

The council recently listed the St. James with a real estate company out of Atlanta that specializes in the sale of hotels. The city of Selma has been managing the day-to-day operations since Strand Management left in March 2015.