Hobbs

THOMASVILLE — Thomasville’s suspended mayor is suing the City of Thomasville for close to $43,000 in back pay he claims the city owes him.

Filed by Valdosta lawyer Converse Bright on behalf of Greg Hobbs, the complaint states the city did not pay Hobbs — or other city council members — the $173 per diem as required by the city charter, but paid $105 per diem, leaving a shortage of $68 per diem.

The suit states the city charter provides that council members and mayor be paid a base pay and a per diem equal to the per diem currently paid to Georgia General Assembly members.

Council members are paid for six meetings per month, with the mayor being paid for seven meetings monthly, according to the suit.

Hobbs’ council term began in January 2010 and continued through December 2015, a period of 72 months, the document states. During that time, Hobbs was entitled to a per diem of $173 for six meetings a month, totaling 432 meetings.

Hobbs was mayor from January 2016 until April 3, 2019.

“During those months he was entitled by charter and statute to per diem pay for seven meetings per month,” the suit states. “Beginning May 2018, the city admitted it had not paid the legally-required compensation and began paying the correct amount of per diem. It failed to pay the past due amount for 28 months. Twenty-eight months times seven meetings per month equals 196 meetings.”

The total back pay due Hobbs is $42,704, the document claims.

Instead of paying Hobbs what he was owed, the city offered to pay him for only the last two years, according to the lawsuit.

“The city tendered (Gregory) Hobbs a check for $9,808.05, which is the net after taxes from the $13,804. This equals the $68 shortage of the per diem payments for 24 months but ignores the shortage for the remaining period of his time on the council,” the suit states.

According to the document, Hobbs did not accept the payment. 

“He refused to accept it, because it was short by about $30,000,” the complaint states.

The document continues, “(Gregory ) Hobbs turned to the city attorney for advice. He then turned to Jim Prine, the assistant district attorney, for advice. He got none,” according to the complaint.

Hobbs demands a jury trial, a judgment of $42,704, attorneys fees and costs.

Gov. Brian Kemp suspended Hobbs after the mayor was indicted in February on city-related criminal charges involving Hobbs’ accusations about two city employees forging his signature on payroll documents related to him.

The employees sued Hobbs. The suit was settled recently, with the city’s insurer paying the employees a total of $50,000. Also in the settlement is a statement from the city saying there is no evidence the women were involved in a forgery.

Hobbs is scheduled to go on trial next week in that case, which the GBI investigated. Brad Shealy, Southern Judicial Circuit district attorney, is the prosecutor.

Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 1820