The Georgia Department of Community Affairs on Tuesday approved Hall County’s service delivery strategy that is required of all counties by state law to minimize duplication of services with cities. Introduced in 1997, the SDS promotes cooperation and collaboration between the county and its municipalities and by so doing delivers cost-efficient services to residents. Hall County and its cities, with the exception of Lula, signed and submitted the SDS agreement on June 29, but a few weeks later DCA sent the document back to them for revisions. Counties and cities that do not have an approved SDS on file are ineligible to receive any financial assistance or permits from the state.