Was EMS issue worth the fight that’s developed?

But the issues in this suit aren’t as clear-cut as one may think. Although it’s unlikely that the suit will eventually change anything, it’s not without some merit and it could have some unintended consequences.

Here’s a rundown on some of the major issues at play in this story:

--- Delivery of emergency services. At its core, this lawsuit grew from a dispute over exactly where to locate a new EMS station on the West side of the county, the fastest growing area. For many years, a site had been targeted by the county for an eventual EMS station. But over the last year, that site was dropped and a new location further west and closer to Braselton was selected by the BOC. There are conflicting stories about the cost of that change, but in moving the station further west, an area of West-Central Jackson was left outside a 5-mile radius of response for any county ambulance. That area includes some West Jackson schools. Some people fear that a gap in service was created by moving the station for reasons that are still vague. The new site has a radius that goes outside of Jackson County to the west, but not east to the school area. But other observers say that a new EMS station will also be needed someday in the Jackson Trail area and that would eventually take care of the gap. But it’s not clear how important the radius issue really is to real response times. Road mileage doesn’t always conform to radius data and given the demand for EMS services in the county, it’s not uncommon for out-of-zone ambulances to respond anyway. The radius coverage is one measure of response, but it may not be the most important one. That part of the debate isn’t clear cut.

--- Government credibility with SPLOST. The nexus of the lawsuit is that the county government has not followed its own or state rules in how it has handled SPLOST money. The lawsuit is using that angle in a bid to stop the EMS project, which is being built by SPLOST funds. It is clear that many local governments have not been playing by the rules with SPLOST money. The county government, for example, has not been publishing an annual report about the status of how it has spent SPLOST funds as required by law, which is one point in the lawsuit. The truth is, there is virtually no accountability or enforcement of how SPLOST funds are expended by local governments. If a government violates the law, there is no agency to enforce sanctions. Because of that lack of accountability, this newspaper opposed the last SPLOST effort. For too many governments, SPLOST funds have become little more than slush funds. Still, is it really worthwhile to sue over paperwork issues with SPLOST just to stop this one project? Although the county did screw up in how it has handled the SPLOST funds, many people would argue the lawsuit was an over-reaction.

--- The political future of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners. This may be the most important aspect of this lawsuit. Incoming BOC chairman Tom Crow was the force behind the lawsuit, although his name is on it as a defendant and not a plaintiff. (A fact that the judge pointed out Monday when Crow wanted to speak on behalf of the plaintiffs although he is a defendant.) In effect, Crow had a group of people sue him and his fellow commissioners in a bid to stop the EMS project because he prefered another site. Crow couldn’t muster enough BOC votes earlier in the year to make that happen, so he pursued the lawsuit as an alternative route. It is using the courts to affect a political outcome. But in being behind the lawsuit, Crow has set himself up against his fellow commissioners even before he takes office as chairman Jan. 1, 2013. But will that weaken the new chairman politically early in his tenure? Whether or not the EMS location was a good decision can be debated, but once a decision was made by the BOC, it was done. Some would argue that it’s time to move on and to let go of that issue. So the dynamics after Jan. 1 between Crow and his board will be interesting to watch. Will this issue become a cloud over the board and render it unable to function on other issues?

There is right and wrong on both sides of this particular debate and as with many public policy decisions, there are good arguments on both sides. But in politics, timing is everything and it appears as if the timing of this lawsuit has rubbed a lot of people raw. No matter who’s right or wrong, a lot of observers seem tired of political bickering in government. It’s all that most people hear from Washington D.C. today and many don’t want to hear it from their local governments, too.

This EMS project involves a lot of money and it has important public safety ramifications for the community. But at the end of the day, is it an issue worth the tumult that has been created with this lawsuit? What happens now if a really big issue hits and the county government is fractured by this matter?

It’s true that some issues are worth fighting for in politics. But looking at the big picture, one has to wonder if this really is one of those issues.

Mike Buffington is editor of The Jackson Herald. He can be reached at mike@mainstreetnews.com.