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City hires full-time court solicitor

By J. FRANK LYNCH
jflynch@theCitizenNews.com

Peachtree City now has a full-time court solicitor.

At a meeting last week, the City Council approved hiring Marcia Elaine Moran to fill the newly created position to serve the city’s Municipal Court and Police Department.

Moran, who most recently worked as a senior assistant solicitor general for the City of Atlanta, will begin work in mid-October at a starting salary of $49,215.

According to City Spokeswoman Betsy Tyler, there will be no added expense with the new hire, and in fact the city might actually save some money in the long run.

The salary will come out of the Police Department’s budget, she said.

Peachtree City had been hiring a solicitor on a contract basis, according to City Manager Bernard McMullen, but the cost to continue that contract showed a significant increase.

By making the solicitor a staff position, the city hopes to save $30,000 annually, McMullen said.

A committee composed of councilmembers Murray Weed and Judi-ann Rutherford, along with Police Chief James Murray, City Attorney Ted Meeker and McMullen interviewed five candidates for the job before settling on Moran.

As solicitor, Moran will act as the prosecutor on behalf of the city in misdemeanor traffic offenses and serve as lead counsel in non-jury trials heard in Municipal Court. She also be a contact for the police department and general public about Georgia traffic law.

Moran, already a Peachtree City resident, is a 2000 graduate of the John Marshall Law School in Atlanta. She was admitted to the Georgia Bar Association in May 2001.