County’s lawsuit against city over EMS dismissed

A lawsuit filed by Barrow County against the City of Winder over the city’s application to provide its own emergency medical services has been dismissed in Barrow County Superior Court.
Citing the need for improved emergency response times within the city limits, the city applied for an EMS license last summer. The application was approved by the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services and Trauma and issued to the city Sept. 20 of last year. The county filed suit Oct. 25, contending the city’s application violated a 2008 service-delivery strategy (SDS) intergovernmental agreement between the county and its municipalities, which dictates that the county be the sole EMS provider countywide. That state-mandated agreement is set to expire Oct. 31 of this year and negotiations are ongoing for an updated 10-year one that would last through October 2028.
In his ruling dated Aug. 24, Judge Joseph H. Booth wrote there is nothing in the current SDS agreement that prevents the city from applying for a license and zone coverage ahead of taking over EMS services and that since the city had no intentions to start a service before the agreement’s expiration, there is no breach of contract.
The EMS license granted to the city is valid until Sept. 30, 2019, but the city still has to undergo additional steps. The Northeast Georgia Region 10 EMS Council, based out of Athens, must still approve the zoning area for the city, which made an application on Oct. 13 to service all areas inside the city limits. The EMS council is scheduled to meet again Tuesday, Sept. 18, where it will likely receive a presentation from the city requesting the zoning area and make a ruling afterward. That meeting is set for 2 p.m. at the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission Offices, 220 Research Dr., Athens.
See more in the Sept. 5 edition of the Barrow News-Journal.