Proceeds from the 2025 SPLOST will enhance Macon-Bibb County’s emergency alert system.
Tuesday, county commissioners approved $2.7 million to upgrade the 53 outdoor warning sirens and add 27 more.
At a later date, commissioners are expected to approve more than $45,000 in maintenance costs for the system as SPLOST funds can only be used for capital expenditures.
Commissioner Raymond Wilder and Mayor Lester Miller shared stories about how the outdoor sirens alerted family members to seek shelter as the Mother’s Day tornado ripped through the west side of town in 2008.
While the county has MBCAlert for emergency cellphone notifications, Miller said not everyone is tech savvy.
“A lot of our seasoned saints don’t thave the technology a lot of folks have, and they’re used to hearing that siren,” Miller said. “We’ve done a real good job with weather radios and doing our part on that, but we have to make sure that every one of our citizens are protected.”
The sirens will be distributed throughout the county to give coverage to all neighborhoods.
“We don’t know, the life we save may be our own, so we appreciate everybody unanimously supporting this,” Miller said.
Pension increases and adjustments
Beginning Jan. 1, retirees under all of Macon-Bibb County’s pension plans will see a 3% increase in their checks.
Last year, commissioners approved a one-time 3% increase only for members of the Fire & Police Pension plan, which is a Social Security replacement plan. The former City of Macon contributed to the pension fund instead of paying into Social Security on behalf of its public safety workers. Retired firefighters and police officers will only draw pension checks, unless they qualify for Social Security based on contributions made at other places of employment.
By law, the county increases Fire & Police benefits by 1.5% annually but that guaranteed increase fell short of Social Security adjustments in 42 of the last 51 years, which means payments to retired law enforcement and firefighters have not been adjusted at the same rate.
This year, all three pension plans requested the on-time 3% adjustment, said Senior Assistant County Attorney Michael McNeill.
County employees who were in the pre-consolidation Bibb County pension fund and the now-closed consolidated Macon-Bibb County pension fund also draw Social Security benefits, which have been regularly adjusted since 1975, including a 14.3% increase in 1980 and an 8.7% increase in 2022.
In spite of those adjustments, Macon-Bibb agreed to fund the additional 3% for all the plans for a total cost of $12.8 million.
The county plans to spread out that cost over 10 years for the Fire & Police plan and amortized over 20 years for the other two plans.
Commissioners also plan to change the charter to create a new death benefit for former employees and adjust pension calculations for Superior Court judges who draw salaries from the State of Georgia and the county.
Judges now have the option to take a higher state salary in lieu of the county supplement, so the change in calculations is necessary for them to continue to receive pension benefits at the same level.
Commissioners approved the ordinance but a charter change requires a second vote, which will occur Dec. 16. to account for changes in state law.
If approved, the change also allows for a $50,000 death benefit for current employees who are vested into their pension, but leave the job before retirement age and die before drawing any of their accumulated benefits.
“These are people who would otherwise have been entitled to a lifetime retirement benefit at retirement age, and never get to see a penny of it,” McNeill said.
The payment will be a way of thanking their families for that person’s service, he said.
Commissioners also issued final alcohol license denials for three local businesses after legal reviews: Tienda Bernabe at 4221 Mercer University Drive, Tom’s Food Mart at 811 Pio Nono Ave. and Jek Food Mart at 3565 Pio Nono Ave.
They reappointed Dr. Monique Davis-Smith to the River Edge Community Service Board and approved a slate of three names from which the Macon-Bibb County Hospital Authority will choose its new member: Dr. Mark Grossnickle, Dr. Bill Tift and Steve Kruger.
Commissioners also approved an additional $500,000 for telephone services and appropriated more than $208K from 2018 SPLOST proceeds to buy protective gear for Macon-Bibb County firefighters.
— 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.
