The Smyrna City Council voted Monday to approve $16,700 in fee waiver requests to help a Smyrna company stay in the city.

GardaWorld will not have to pay $2,100 for building permit fees this year or $14,500 for occupational license fees for the next four years.

Moving to Smyrna in 1999, the business is moving from 5400 United Drive to 1860 Freeman Parkway with its 140 employees after outgrowing its present facility.

Company official Alain Plante wrote in a Feb. 10 letter to the city that the company will have to pay $300,000 in improvement costs for a 10-year lease.

Based in Canada, the company is a worldwide private security firm.

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Fans celebrate in the stands after Cape Verde defeated Eswatini in a World Cup qualifying soccer match at Estádio Nacional in Praia, Cape Verde, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, to clinch their qualification for the 2026 World Cup. (Cristiano Barbosa/AP)

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