Snellville Among Cities Expected to Sign SDS Agreement
The city of Snellville is expected to join others in settling the contentious service delivery dispute.
The multi-year Service Delivery Strategy (SDS) dispute between Gwinnett County and several cities in the Gwinnett Muncipal Association (GwMA) appears to be near an end.
Snellville -- among other cities in Gwinnett County -- is expected to meet on the matter tomorrow, February 7, before signing the agreement at county offices, according to officials.
City officials in Loganville and Suwanee have also confirmed that parties are expected to approve the final SDS agreement on February 7.
The meetings have not been widely advertised by city or county officials. Gwinnett County officials could not be reached for comment Friday.
Negotiations clearly had been progressing. GwMA officials held conference calls, one as recently as last month, on the matter.
The dispute dates to 2009, when the county sued the cities. The cities contend that they should not have to pay the county for services they do not use, such as police.
In September, a judge agreed, siding strongly with the cities. That ruling is under appeal, but settlement talks can continue during that process.
The disputed amount has been put in excess of $10 million. Also, notable fallout from the dispute is that police agencies in several Gwinnett cities and the Gwinnett County Police can't use radar or laser to track speeders.
Suwanee Patch Local Editor Steve Burns and Loganville-Grayson Patch Local Editor Sharon Swanepoel contributed to this report.