The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners approved a proposed settlement with the county's cities in the Service Delivery Strategy (SDS) lawsuit late Tuesday afternoon.  

The proposal establishes new service districts for Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Police Services, Loganville Emergency Medical Services, and Planning, Development, Zoning and Code Enforcement Services. The service districts will be implemented in 2013, according to a press release.

Snellville is expected to approve the proposed agreement at a special called meeting at 6:30 p.m., at City Hall. At 8:30 p.m., county officials and local mayors plan to meet for a joint historic signing of the agreement in Lawrenceville.

"Countless hours and a lot of hard work have gone into reaching this agreement,” Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash said in a release. “The issues involved in funding and operating a major metropolitan county with 15 cities are incredibly complex.

"I would like to thank everyone who had a role in resolving these issues – all of the mayors, council members and city staff, as well as our district commissioners and County staff. Without their commitment to resolving these issues, a settlement could not have been reached.”

The cities must now each approve the settlement before they and the county submit the consent order to the court for consideration and approval.

The consent order will also ask the court to lift sanctions prohibiting Gwinnett cities and county agencies from receiving state loans, grants and permits-- including permits to use speed detection devices such as radar guns.