MOULTRIE — Colquitt County Commission agreed Wednesday to offer a contract to an interim county administrator, but the vote was narrow and followed a lengthy and at times acrimonious session closed to the public.

In a 4-3 decision, commissioners voted to extend a six-month contract to Thomas County resident Tom Berry, who served a stint previously as Moultrie’s interim city manager. Commissioners Winfred Giddens, Johnny Hardin, Donna Herndon and Luke Strong voted to approve Berry, with commission Chairman Benny Alderman joined by commissioners Terry Clark and Ray Saunders in opposition.

Prior to that vote commissioners spent nearly an hour and a half behind closed doors in a session closed to discuss a personnel issue. Georgia law allows county and municipal governments to close meetings to discuss certain personnel issues.

An Observer reporter outside the meeting heard several voices raised during the discussion. The reporter could not make out the subject of the dispute, but discussion that followed after the meeting was reopened indicated that it involved some commissioners preferring to keep Zoning Officer John Peters in charge of running county operations until a new administrator is hired.

Peters was approved last November to work as assistant to County Administrator Bryan Shuler. Shuler died Jan. 11 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Prior to the vote, Alderman made a recommendation that the search committee, made up of Clark, Hardin and Strong, advertise for applicants for a full-time manager. He suggested that after a two-week application period the committee take a week to select a candidate for the full board’s consideration.

His recommendation, which he did not make as a motion for a vote, did not suggest any change in status for Peters.

After the vote was taken County Attorney Lester Castellow broke up a back-and-forth between Saunders and Strong that lasted several minutes.

Under the contract offered to Berry, one of two candidates who were interviewed last year as potential temporary administrators while commissioners waited to see whether Shuler would return, he will receive $5,000 per month. If commission taps him to assist in the search for a permanent county administrator he would receive a one-time payment of $2,500.

Strong told The Observer after the meeting that Berry will assume the interim duties on Feb. 1, at which time Peters would return to his previous duties full time.

Moultrie Mayor Bill McIntosh said Wednesday that Berry, who served as interim between Bob Hopkins and current City Manager Mike Scott, was a good selection.

“Tom Berry is an excellent, capable, knowledgeable, likable fellow who did a great job for the city of Moultrie in an interim position,” McIntosh said during a telephone interview after the meeting. “He just did an excellent job for the city. I could not commend the county any better for making that choice.”

Berry has extensive governmental experience and in recent years has looked to serve on an interim basis, including manager for Thomasville, he said. That experience would be valuable if Berry is tapped to assist in finding a permanent administrator.

“He has some big shoes to fill after Bryan Shuler,” McIntosh said. “He’s just got so much expertise. He has a lot of contacts, a lot of knowledge of people who are in government.”