The Dawson County Board of Commissioners said Thursday it will not object to a 29-acre parcel of land being annexed into city limits.

As Mr. Swafford has said in the past, there is no need to spend money on arbitration, Commission Chair Mike Berg said during the meeting.

James Swafford is a commissioner from District 2.

The 29-acre parcel is located at 488 Highway 136 East.

Four days earlier, the Dawsonville City Council voted 3-0-1 to approve the annexation request of George and Pam Power, the parents of City Council Member Jason Power. Power recused himself from the vote.

The Dawsonville Planning and Zoning Department, headed by Nalita Copeland, recommended the city approve the annexation request.

Had the county objected to the annexation request, both government entities would have gone into arbitration at taxpayers expense.

Arbitration disputes can cost as much as $20,000, records show.

At issue with Powers request, according to Berg, were two small outparcel islands created when the annexation was approved.

An island is a piece of county-zoned land surrounded by city-zoned property, a situation forbidden by Georgia law.

But they are all owned by the family, no one outside the family, and they have applied for and gotten a second additional conservation easement that will hold for the next 10 years, Berg said. Nothing will be added to or taken away from that. There is no zoning associated with this. Berg recommended that the board approve the request.

District 3 Commissioner Jimmy Hamby made the motion to approve, which was seconded by District 4 Commissioner Julie Nix. It then passed 4-0.

Last month, the board avoided another annexation dispute with the city when it withdrew its objection to a 37-acre annexation request by Byron Hutson, the father-in-law of City Council Member Jason Power.

Hutsons property is located on Duck Thurmond Road, adjacent to the Atlanta Motorsports Park.

In other county business, the board approved: The Title VI Plan for Dawson County Transit Board members 2014 expenses of $3,899.53.

Use of a contract for non-profit groups leasing county office space.

Appointments to the Dawson County Development Authority: Clint Bearden, Sherry Weeks, Charlie Tarver, all terms through December 2018.

Appointments to the joint development authority: Mary Simmons, John Drew, terms through December 2018.