NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Metro hopes a new security audit will answer questions about the safety of visitors and workers in its government buildings.

Video: Metro To Audit Security Of Buildings

Metro is hiring consultants to do the work, and it will cost the city about $15,000 to assess the security of eight of Metro’s buildings, including the historic courthouse.

The audit was prompted by the break-in at the Metro Election Commission, in which a laptop containing voter information – including Social Security numbers – was stolen.

The break-in happened when a security guard was supposed to be on duty. A homeless man later turned himself in and confessed to the break-in, and the computer drive with voter information was later recovered, police said.

The audit should tell Metro what can be done to improve security at its key buildings.

Office of Internal Audit representative Mark Swann said the audit was “mainly to give us an assurance level that we are protecting our physical facilities and the people who are inside on a day-to-day basis."

Outside auditors will look at everything from lighting to whether the guards are properly trained and if there are panic switches and emergency alarms.

Swann said Metro government is realizing it should do periodic reviews of whether workers and the public are safe.

"If you stay isolated in your world, you don't realize what the rest of the world is moving toward,” he said.

The contract still has to be negotiated, but the apparent contract winner is a company called TransSystems, which bid $15,500.

The audit should take eight to 10 weeks and will start in April. After that, officials said Metro should have a better idea of whether it will cost more money to help keep Metro buildings and its taxpayers safe.

This audit is not meant to determine whether Wackenhut security overbilled Metro for guard services, that's a separate audit being done by the city.

In January, Metro officials said it discovered that Wackenhut guards were apparently not on duty at the election commission for all of the hours they billed Metro.