RuCo attorney contract, nothing to do with Bible Park on The Murfreesboro Post

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By: MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer

Posted: Thursday, September 10, 2009 2:33 pm

Rutherford County is on the path to create its own legal department.

At the Rutherford County Board of Commissioners Steering Committee meeting Wednesday night, the body unanimously approved a new contract with Cope, Hudson, Reed & McCreary to provide legal services for the county for the next two years.

Cope, Hudson, Reed & McCreary is headed by Jim Cope, who could not be reached for comment.

“The agreement is one that provides substantial savings and plots a course for the development of an in-house legal department,” Steering Committee Chairman John Rodgers said.

Rodgers explained the county attorney’s office provides two types of legal services to the county – general legal advice to the county commission and departments and litigation services.

“The agreement provides that the current county attorney will provide both of these services,” Rodger said, the contract also sets rates Cope’s office may charge for the services.

Under the agreement, the county attorney will be paid no less than $6,000 per month (or $72,000 annually), but work done must be billed monthly. Any hours billed over the pre-set $6,000 will be reimbursed at $150 per hour.

The county will also provide the county attorney will a full-time secretary and benefits.

In 2007 Rutherford County paid Cope $108,000 plus benefits and funded two secretaries for the county attorney’s office. The county attorney also billed hourly rates to consult on outstanding litigation.

“(The contract) will provide a substantial savings to the county while providing the same level of service,” Rodgers said.

The agreement provides for the county to create its own in-house legal department after two years, which will handle general legal advice for matters of government and county departments. In the next year, the county has the option to bring litigation services in-house also, Rodgers said.

The idea of developing an in-house legal department came up about three years ago, Rodgers said, when the county last looked to renew its contract with Cope’s office. Cope has served as county attorney for 25 years.

“At that time the steering committee expressed some interest in exploring some options,” Rodgers said, noting cost versus benefits of outside counsel and looking at what other counties do.

Rodgers said the decision has nothing to do with recent allegations of impropriety by Cope in his role as county attorney.

The county attorney’s office has come under fire recently from the Sheltons, the family who own the land where Bible Park USA was proposed to be built in the Blackman community.

The Sheltons claimed in a lawsuit against the county last year that the county attorney overstepped his bounds by approving petitions used to defeat the religious theme park.

The family also claimed the county attorney’s office has a conflict of interest because it represents the Daily News Journal and Consolidated Utility District as well as the county.

“It was not in any way tied to those particular issues and does not reflect on Mr. Cope,” Rodgers said about the committee’s decision to development an in-house legal department. He has been an outstanding county attorney."

Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.

Tagged under BPU, Jim Cope, John Rodgers, RuCo, Shelton

Member Opinions:

By: whizkid on 9/10/09
It will be very difficult to employ an attorney of Mr. Cope's stature for $108,000 per year.

By: Geana on 9/10/09
Well, I'd agree after 25 years of service Mr. Cope deserved that salary. I have to admit though, I'm surprised the county doesn't already have in an in-house legal dept. I don't know if the county will end up saving money allowing billable hours over the 6G a month. At 150 an hour it will only take 20 hours a month to reach 9G and definitely exceed that if any high profile litigation cases arise over the 2-year period. Then there's the secretaries. We don't know their wages but only one doing the work of two -- will probably demand an increased salary for that "one," plus o/t when needed alongside the attorney(s), might end up as paying for two anyway. We'll see :)

By: bota on 9/11/09
An in house staff will cost more than twice what Mr. Cope is paid..