Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller aimed to set the record straight on public misconceptions about the school speed zone cameras during this month’s Ask Mayor Miller program. (00:18 into video)
Miller addressed some of those disputes head-on by stressing that cameras do not operate and issue tickets when school is not in session, citations are not issued in summer, Macon-Bibb County did not force private schools into the program and a contribution from a surveillance camera company executive to Miller’s campaign did not come with a “quid pro quo.”
“There’s a lot of people that get interviews saying they got a ticket on a Saturday, they got one in the summer, they got one late at night. That’s simply not true. It’s not me calling someone a liar. That’s factual, and I’ve reviewed the reports,” Miller said.
Recent media reports that the county collected revenue in the summer were “misleading,” he said, because it made people think they were issuing tickets then when they were collecting from prior fines.
He reiterated that drivers are ticketed for going 11 mph over the reduced speed limit when lights are flashing, but they can also be cited for 11 mph over the regular speed limit any time during the school day which runs from one hour before school begins to one hour after dismissal time.
For Bibb County public schools, that could range between 6:30 a.m. to 5:05 p.m., but private school schedules and holiday calendars do not line up.
Although Sheriff David Davis temporarily paused citations during legislative debate at the State Capitol, Macon also voluntarily disabled cameras near Stratford Academy and First Presbyterian Day School after complaints. Miller explained that he had permission from leadership at both schools to implement the program.
“People said, Macon-Bibb County violated the law. That is a ridiculous comment,” he said. “I want people to know that we would never place a camera in a location forcibly. That’s just simply not true.”
Leaders of those private schools said they were willing to give it a try, Miller said.
“If someone says we didn’t request it, the same person said we will agree to try it. To me, if you’re saying we will try it means you’re giving permission, and you certainly signed a volunteer form to GDOT saying we are requesting these, so you can play on semantics all you want to,” he said.
The county received more than two dozen open records requests for the speed zone cameras, he said, and Miller encourages more to set the record straight.
“I’m not here to basically go back and forth with everybody, but that just needs to clear those facts up. Ask for the reports. Ask to see the citations all the summer. But I can guarantee you, if you do a ‘we verify,’ you can verify they do not operate 24/7, 365, and get that myth out of the picture,” he said.
Miller has offered to pay $100 out of his pocket for improperly issued citations because he is confident there are none.
This month’s program was recorded just after news broke about Middle Georgia legislators receiving campaign contributions from speed zone camera companies who share revenue with participating governments. Macon-Bibb’s cut is 75%.
Miller also received $1,000 from the vice chairman of Altumint, a county contractor for the cameras, but he said that did not sway his judgment. That donation represents a small fraction of the nearly $1 million Miller has raised in his two mayoral campaigns, he said.
“Maybe sometimes contractors give to campaigns, and of course, we have projects out there, but multiple people give money, and they all can’t get the project. So, it’s not a quid pro quo type situation, but that’s just a small amount, and it certainly happens in every single case, otherwise, there will be no campaign contributions,” Miller said.
The cameras are reducing speeds and pending studies will prove that, he said.
WMAZ recently challenged his assertion and concluded there was no concrete data yet to prove his claim.
Miller responded by saying he has seen data showing the decline in citations over time once motorists become familiar with the cameras and potential to be ticketed. Revenue increased because more cameras have been installed, he said.
Macon-Bibb and other local governments using the cameras are watching the Georgia General Assembly which could ban them or curtail operations in the waning days of this legislative session.
SPLOST spending, new mall tenants, third term?
Miller also announced commissioners will soon be deciding whether to borrow up to $100 million for upcoming 2025 SPLOST projects because it will take about a decade to collect $450 million after the 2018 SPLOST runs its course later this year. (17:40)
The loan will enable them to begin projects sooner.
A huge chunk of the SPLOST collections will go to pave roads in the county after years of neglect, Miller said. (12:24)
He recently visited the new Enmark Arena in Savannah and continues to push for a new facility here to keep GHSA sports championships in town after the AJC reported a plan to move the competitions to Atlanta. (18:10)
“That would be very, very, very detrimental to Macon hotel-motel tax, our taxes here, since we have some on the SPLOST and the LOST. We have to keep those things in Macon and one way we have to do that is to improve our facilities,” he said.
New tenants at Macon Mall are in negotiation, including some for the “big box” locations at the old Macy’s and J.C. Penney. Over the next 20 months, he expects to create a new program to lure restaurants to the mall and draw up a request for proposals for a hotel near the Atrium Health Amphitheater. (19:45)
While Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission’s rent has increased by about $80,000 since the move from Terminal Station, Miller said the county offices that relocated were facing rent increases in their former locations, too, and some of the extra expenses come from new equipment and furnishings.
As to whether state lawmakers will eventually consider allowing a third term for Macon-Bibb’s mayor following a request from the County Commission, (12:00), he said: “I don’t control that. As you remember the O-LOST took about four sessions to pass. I don’t live my life waiting on the third term. I live it to keep doing the job that people elected me to do. And if it happens, it happens. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I mean, I’m going to be just fine.”
Send your questions for Ask Mayor Miller to mercerccj@gmail.com.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities and can be reached at fabian_lj@mercer.edu or call 478-301-2976.
