CAIRO — After two votes, the Grady County Board of Commissioners approved new legal representation Friday afternoon. 

In a 3-2 vote, the Grady commission approved going to Hall, Booth, Smith P.C., a law firm headquartered in Atlanta with offices in Tifton and Albany. 

Commissioners June Duke Knight and LaFaye Copeland voted for and Keith Moye and T.D. David voted against the motion to hire the firm. Chairman Ray Prince broke the tie in favor of the law firm. 

In a prior motion, Moye and David voted in favor of Kevin Cauley, Grady’s legal counsel since August 2008. Copeland and Knight voted against, along with Prince breaking the tie. 

Copeland said she thought “it’s best that we try something new for a while.” 

Copeland spoke on different areas that would require legal representation, such as instances with employment and environmental law. 

“I like the idea of having one law firm that handles all of that,” she said. 

Knight agreed with Copeland. 

Commissioners discussed past instances if a certain area of legal representation was not available within Cauley’s law office that outside legal counsel had to be sought. 

David spoke in favor of Cauley, noting his experience with Tired Creek Lake and Cauley would be local representation.

“Those are pluses to me,” he said. 

Moye said the issue during the first discussions among the board was not quality. 

“The only issue was being overcharged,” he said. 

Knight asked if there were any wrongdoings on Cauley’s part since he was hired. Prince said there have been past instances “that hadn’t been handled properly.”  

Cauley’s law office and Hall, Booth, Smith P.C. were the only two bids the county received at the Dec. 19 regular meeting. 

Cauley submitted a bid with a $175 per hour rate. Hall, Booth, Smith’s bid listed three rates: $225 per hour for a senior representative; $195 per hour for a junior representative; and $175 per hour for an associate representative. 

The Grady County Board of Commissioners approved seeking proposals for legal services back in November.  

Reporter Jordan Barela can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1826.