Small Georgia town reinstates officers days after the mayor dissolved police department

A town council in a small north Georgia mountain community has reinstated the community's police department, restoring the jobs of its officers two days after the mayor fired them all.

Friday's special meeting of the Cohutta Town Council was standing-room only, the Associated Press reported.

According to Cohutta Vice Mayor Shane Kornberg, the officers reinstated immediately and will receive back pay,

On Wednesday morning, WDEF reported that a notice was posted on the Cohutta Police Department's door that was credited to Mayor Ron Shinnick that announced the police department had been dissolved and all personnel had been terminated.

The move came days after city officials held a press conference where then-Police Chief Greg Fowler joined the mayor and read a statement saying that they had worked together to come to a resolution after officers reportedly raised concerns that Shinnick's wife had access to the town systems after she was fired from her job as town clerk.

Kornberg said the town's attorney, Bryan Rayburn, told the council the officers' firings hadn't followed the town charter, which requires 30 days' notice be given before employees can be suspended or removed.

The council went into executive session to discuss matters of litigation. When they emerged, the mayor voluntarily didn't return to the meeting, Kornberg said.

Kornberg, as vice mayor, took over the meeting. The council then passed the ordinance reinstating the officers and another measure preventing the mayor from firing the officers for the next 30 days.

The council then voted to table "for the foreseeable future" the rest of the meeting's agenda, which involved removing Shinnick as mayor.

When no Cohutta officers were working, the Whitfield County Sheriff's Office assumed the city's law enforcement services.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.