The city of Augusta will remain without a permanent general counsel for at least a few more months, while interim general counsel Jim Plunkett’s role is set to expand.
After an hourlong closed session June 26, the Augusta Commission emerged to quietly approve an “amended interim legal services transition plan.”
The city has been without a permanent general counsel since the May 2024 resignation, effective that August, of longtime city lawyer Wayne Brown.
Brown served as chief legal advisor to the city and head of the consolidated government’s law department, which was created in 2007. He was Augusta’s second general counsel since 2010.
The agreement approved last month and obtained by The Augusta Press, expands on two earlier transition plans, both approved in August 2024. They made Plunkett interim general counsel for up to six months or until the commission appointed a new general counsel.
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The newest plan extends Plunkett’s designation as interim general counsel to Dec. 31. It continues the role of his law partner, John Manton, in also providing legal advice and services to the commission and city departments. Their firm, Plunkett, Hamilton, Manton and Graves LLP, may continue to perform legal work for the city.
For the six months of work, Plunkett and Manton will be paid a combined fee of $232,500, including fees for paralegals and support staff, plus court costs and related expenses, according to the agreement. Other lawyers with the firm may be paid additionally on an hourly basis.
Plunkett remains entitled to other compensation – up to 85% of bond counsel fees – for serving as counsel for the city as it issues bonds. The fees are typically a percentage of the debt being issued.
The expense of paying outside counsel was a concern raised by commissioners earlier this year. The law department has three known vacancies but continues to employ at least four other attorneys full time ,in addition to support staff. A document prepared by the city showed Plunkett or his firm being paid around $45,000 per month through February.
Earlier plans set the attorneys’ hourly rate at $200, with billing capped at an average of 60 hours a week.
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The agreement provided to The Augusta Press had not been executed. It showed an expected start date in June.
The latest plan includes a couple other additions not seen in earlier plans:
- It formally names Plunkett as department head of the Augusta Law Department
- Plunkett and Manton are tasked with preparing a proposal for a reorganization of the law department
Several Augusta commissioners stated they did not know why a reorganization plan or designation of Plunkett as department head were included and declined to comment on the additions.
Should the city wish to extend the arrangement into 2026, the compensation schedule remains the same.
The city has conducted three searches for a general counsel since Brown resigned with no success. In April after a consultant’s presentation of some nine candidates, the discussion turned to hiring an outside county attorney, which the commission used until the law office was created. The commission sought a legal opinion on whether the city charter requires a full-time general counsel.
This year, Plunkett has become heavily involved with the city’s Charter Review Committee, serving as its parliamentarian and legal advisor as the group attempts to revise the city’s governing document.
