Reappointment of Peachtree City's attorneys, judge and solicitor has been delayed until the first week of March due to scheduling conflicts with one of the council members.

Requests for proposals from interested parties were readvertised in December after some confusion about the various positions. The matter was to be decided by the council during February.

But Councilman Robert Brooks, who said last week that he has missed only four meetings in ten years, informed city manager Jim Basinger that he would be unable to attend either of the council's regularly scheduled meetings in February. The issue was then placed on last week's council agenda.

City staff recommended that Webb, Stuckey and Lindsey remain as city attorney, with Mitch Powell continuing to be the city's municipal judge.

This is a change from the city's previous recommendations after the original bids.

Glover and Davis, the Newnan firm of which Judge Powell is a member, was the low bidder for the city attorney post the first time around, and city staff recommended them based mainly on price, saying that Webb, Stuckey & Lindsey has provided excellent service for the past several years.

But when the council discussed the bids in December, it was revealed that some confusion existed as to the city attorney and solicitor positions. Webb, Stuckey & Lindsey are currently filling both roles.

But some bidders opted solely for the solicitor job, which prompted the city to solicit bids a second time and more clearly state the requirements.

The council elected to combine the positions of solicitor and city attorney, under which conditions Glover and Davis did not submit a bid.

Powell bid again for the municipal judgeship, which effectively knocked his firm out of the running for the other job, since the same firm could not represent the city as solicitor and serve on the municipal bench.

As for Webb, Stuckey & Lindsey, their bid was the same both times: a $750 monthly retainer, $130 per hour for attorneys and $70 per hour for paralegals and clerks.

That was not the lowest bid among the five applicants, but it was the only bid received from a Peachtree City firm. There were two bidders from Atlanta and one apiece from Fayetteville and Jonesboro.

Mayor Pro Tempore Annie McMenamin has made clear the fact that she would abstain from any vote to retain Webb, Stuckey and Lindsey, since her daughter is a lawyer with that firm. Brooks then raised the question of whether there would be a problem having a quorum in his absence.

Since not all council members were ready to vote on the matter, it was decided that it would be considered again in March.

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