Top leaders in county and city government hope mediation will help them resolve negotiations over the 1-cent local option sales tax.According to Cindy Campbell, chief financial officer and interim Dawson County manager, LOST funds go into the county’s general fund to pay for government services “to keep property taxes down.”Once every 10 years, Dawson County and the city of Dawsonville must determine a split of the LOST revenue. Last negotiated in 2002, the current split is 86 percent of the revenue to the county and 14 percent to the city, which through an intergovernment agreement includes the city paying the county no less than $120,000 annually for police protection and $40,000 per year for fire services, determined through a percentage of LOST collections.Commission Chairman Mike Berg said the inability to reach a consensus involves the county’s proposal to be paid a percentage, rather than a specific dollar amount.“We’d like not to have dollars flowing back and forth. We’d like to have a flat percentage, so you don’t have so much accounting work to do,” Berg said.