The embattled 21st Century Coweta got a new lease on life Tuesday as the Coweta County Commissioners decided to fund the group through the end of the year.

The group had come under fire in recent weeks after Commissioner Jim McGuffey suggested a reorganization of the industrial recruitment group and putting it under the guidance of the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce.

Commissioner Vernon "Mutt" Hunter joked that he had not seen such media coverage on a single issue since the infamous John Wallace murder case a few years ago.

Hunter added that the commissioners couldn't get rid of the organization like many media outlets had reported.

"All we can do is cut off our portion of the funding," he said.

Commission Chairman Lawrence Nelms said it was important to send a signal that the county was behind the group's efforts in luring industrial clients to the county and asked the commissioners to extend the group's funding until the end of the calendar year.

While he said it was important to show unity, McGuffey said he had a problem with Nelms' motion.

"Nothing has been done on my original motion. I think we need to wait and determine what's going to be done. It looks like we're getting in a little bit of a hurry," he said.

But Commissioner Robert Wood said he felt the changes would take some time to implement and added he felt it was important to keep the organization intact until the changes were made.

At an earlier meeting, the commission agreed to fund the organization through the end of March. Hunter and McGuffey suggested funding the group through the end of June, but the idea was shot down by the three other commissioners.

In discussing the funding fate of the organization, McGuffey outlined some of the problems he had with the group. The organization was originally started four years ago as a public-private organization to help bring more industry to the county. In order to participate in the group, an industry would have to donate funds to help support the group, which McGuffey said was wrong.

"There should be no way that industries not be able to have participation. Let's open it up to industry, but don't make them pay for it," he said.

Commissioner Hunter also opposed the lack of information from the group to the commissioners.

"If I'm going to vote $60,000 of taxpayers' money, let me know what's going on," he said.