A dispute between the city of Bainbridge and Decatur County over service fees charged to city residents began mediation on a positive note, as representatives of both the city and the county emerged from the first day of negotiations feeling positive about the progress already made.

The dispute concerns services provided by the county that are duplicated by the city. Bainbridge claims its residents are being “double taxed” for services they often do not need or receive, and is seeking to be relieved of the onus of paying the county for them. The county has so far refused to consider the request, and Bainbridge officials filed for mediation with the superior court.

The mediation session between The Decatur County Board of Commissioners and Bainbridge City Manager Chris Hobby took place in the Decatur County Courthouse’s Juror Room. Both sides described the session positively; Hobby described it as a “good day” and Decatur County Commission Chairman Dennis Brinson stated that he was ‘optimistic’ based on the progress made.

Although no guarantee of future sessions, the tone of the first day made it seem very likely that the mediation will be successful. Partly this is due to the options before both sides:  A new service delivery strategy does not necessary mean that all “doubled” services will be separated or all fees ended. This flexibility in approach offers many different options for a resolution via the mediation process being handled by a non-local judge.