Whitfield County, Georgia, the city of Dalton and three other smaller municipalities will still be able to receive millions of dollars in state funding as mediation talks continue over the county’s service delivery agreement.
Superior Court Judge Ralph Van Pelt Jr. signed an order Thursday that would hold off any penalties the state would enforce to Whitfield County and the cities and towns inside the county for not coming to an agreement on a Service Delivery Strategy by the Oct. 31 deadline.
Van Pelt Jr.’s order holds off sanctions until May 1 while the entities go through mandatory mediation. That means the county will still be able to get funds for road construction and other services that the county depends on.
Last week, for the second time in a month, the two sides agreed to sit down with a judge for a mandatory meeting to negotiate the county’s service delivery strategy.
After eight hours of mediation on Oct. 17, the city of Dalton and Whitfield County hit a wall and couldn’t find common ground on an agreement over providing government services before the Oct. 31 deadline. The county’s other three municipalities – Tunnel Hill, Varnell and Cohutta – have sided with Whitfield County and would sign the agreement as it stands now.