WALB is working to produce a video specific to this story. In the meantime, watch other stories from Colquitt County above. MOULTRIE, Ga. (WALB) — Colquitt County taxpayers have been left with a staggering $576,408.69 bill following a six-year legal battle over a retired employee’s pension. Newly obtained public records, internal emails, and check ledgers obtained by WALB News 10 Investigates show that the county commission rejected a settlement in 2023 that would have ended the case for just $40,000. Instead, the county chose to litigate, culminating in a losing Georgia Court of Appeals decision that forced a massive payout using the county’s Capital Projects Fund. In 1983, local attorney William “Bill” McCalley was appointed by the Colquitt County Board of Commissioners as the county attorney. For 24 years, McCalley was reappointed on an annual basis, serving as the county’s primary legal counsel until his retirement in 2006. During his tenure, McCalley was paid a salary for attending bi-monthly meetings and billed the county hourly for other services, receiving a Form 1099 for taxes. In July 2000, the Colquitt County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to amend the county’s retirement pension plan to include the county attorney as an eligible participant. In 2005, the county executed an updated adoption agreement with the Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG), the plan administrator, formally revising the definition of an eligible employee…
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