Lawrence County Commissioners plan to go ahead with a civil lawsuit against the former emergency medical services system the county was once a member of.

Commissioner Les Boggs said during the commission’s Thursday meeting that hiring a private attorney would be the next step in collecting more than $300,000 owed to the county from the now defunct Southeast Ohio Emergency Medical Services.

“The only thing left is a civil suit,” Boggs said. “This isn’t grasping. These are dollars owed to Lawrence County that were overpaid and we are not being repaid what is ours.”

SEOEMS was a tri-county EMS made up of Lawrence, Jackson and Athens counties that was disbanded when Jackson and Athens pulled out in 2010. That forced Lawrence to start its own EMS in January 2011.

The commissioners contend a state audit showed that SEOEMS owes Lawrence County the money and that the other two counties owe SEOEMS more than $500,000.

“The other counties don’t want to pay us,” Boggs said. “Lawrence County dollars were taken and being used to pay bills owed by the other counties. It is wrong.”

The commissioners will meet with the county prosecutor’s office to determine if the prosecutor should choose the private attorney or if the commissioners must hire directly. Boggs said he would like the lawsuit filed within the next 60 days.

Dan Palmer of the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste District told the commission that South Point schools and Elizabeth Township Trustees will join in the May 5 Great American Cleanup.

April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. will be the Drug Take Back Day at the Greater Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and E-Waste Day, a new event, will be March 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Hills Plaza. County residents can dispose of unwanted personal computers, printers, cell phones and scanners.

In other business the commissioners:

• Approved borrowing up to $195,000 for two new ambulances from Huntington Bank in a lease-purchase agreement for three years at 1.80 percent. The interest rates from other banks giving a quote were PNC at 2.25 percent; US Bank at 2.4 percent and Peoples at 3.15 percent;

• Signed the Road Improvement General Obligation Bond Anticipation Note for $3,000,000 for county road landslide and bridge repair work caused by flooding in 2011;

• Forwarded bids to Lawrence County Municipal Judge Don Capper for reproofing and HVAC replacement at the Chesapeake courthouse. Participating are Boggs Roofing for a base bid of $101,990 and Fairfax Inc for a base bid of $73,820;

• Received the weekly dog warden’s report where 34 dogs were destroyed, two were sold and one redeemed by its owner.