The dispute between Newton County and Social Circle over the city's annexation of 1,150 acres is now officially over with the Wednesday signing of a consent order by the county, city and landowners to end the lawsuit.

According to the consent order, the November 2006 annexation and rezoning of the acreage, located on the north side of Interstate 20 between Ga. Highway 11 and U.S. Highway 278, to Multi-Use Business Park is considered null and void, or as if it legally never happened.

"The county got what we wanted to get," said James Griffin, an attorney for the county. "The lawsuit's over."

All parties in the lawsuit will pay their own court costs and attorney fees, according to the order.

Social Circle Mayor Jim Burgess said," I am very pleased that the matter has been dissolved."

In March Social Circle announced it had repealed the annexation, citing a technical flaw in the boundary description of the annexed property as the reason.