Macon-Bibb County’s Urban Development Authority plans to secure up to $20 million in revenue bonds for the new City Hall parking deck that’s part of the D.T. Walton lofts project at the corner of Plum Street.
Tuesday, County Commissioners authorized Mayor Lester Miller to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with UDA to eventually purchase the deck once it is finished and construction of the rest of the project is 75% complete.
The resolution also enacts an agreement with the authority, Gateway/75 developers, the Bibb County School District, the tax commissioner and board of assessors for payment in lieu of taxes, which is known as a PILOT program.
Payments made in lieu of taxes will repay the bonds over the next 30 years on the project that includes residential lofts and townhouses, retail space and the parking garage the county will use for its employees and downtown visitors as part of the authority’s paid parking program.
The resolution caps the interest rate at 8% and limits annual debt service to $2 million.
Commissioners also allocated more than $243,000 in Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus funds to local organizations including $100,000 for First Choice Primary Care to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of serious health conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
The county agreed to hire Blue Cedar Counseling for $1,000 per week to provide clinical treatment assessments for the State Court of Bibb County Probation Office.
Commissioners also hired current SPLOST project manager Clay Murphey to manage airport construction projects at a rate of one-half percent of the overall cost of the construction.
The pool at Delores A. Brooks Recreation Center needs to be resurfaced and the county commission approved spending more than $123,000 to make repairs.
Miller told commissioners the pool will not be able to open as expected Memorial Day weekend due to the work. Commissioner Paul Bronson suggested the county start future work sooner so that pools could be open in time for the start of the summer season, but the mayor said this issue just came up in recent weeks and they wanted to tackle it right away instead of putting it off.
After a 30-minute executive session, commissioners also approved shifting $225,000 from the general fund to the attorney’s office for legal expenses.
The ordinance did not include specific information about the claims, but Miller said the money was needed to settle a couple of accident claims.
Here are highlights from the meeting that also included a final denial of an alcohol license for the Kitchen Pride store on Columbus Road in Unionville. The store was deemed a “vice mart,” which means it did not sell gasoline or a sufficient amount of fresh food to qualify for a license under local law.
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
