Macon-Bibb County Commissioners approved funds to fix a Macon Mall parking lot sinkhole, pave Carolyn Crayton Park, renovate Code Enforcement Offices and landscape a downtown park along the new Josh Rogers Way during its Tuesday meetings at City Hall.
While the bulk of the agenda involved accepting grant funds, commissioners also agreed to urge the Georgia General Assembly to double funding for Historic Tax Credits on commercial projects through the Department of Community Affairs.
Macon-Bibb has led the nation with 69 tax credit projects completed downtown for a total of $97.5 million in reinvestment that would not have happened without the financial incentives, according to the resolution that encourages increasing the available tax credits for commercial projects to $60 million per year.
NewTown Macon CEO James Fritze said the county is poised to continue to reap the benefits of tax breaks with its 17 historic districts and 6,000 historic structures.
Over the decades, Historic Macon recorded a total of 150 tax credit projects in the county, Fritze said
“If we’ve only done 150 of our 6,000 structures, we’ve got a way to go,” Fritze said.
Under Macon’s new strategic plan, NewTown plans to replicate its downtown work in neighborhoods outside the urban core.
Codes, contracts and agreements
After confusion over who has jurisdiction for sanitary violations resulted in a court case being dismissed, commissioners amended code sections to clarify that Code Enforcement officers can write citations for health code violations.
Chief Asst. County Attorney Michael McNeill explained that the health department historically called upon county officers to handle those citations, but the new language makes it clear that code officers have authority to enforce the county code unless otherwise noted.
Commissioners also approved a $557,000 contract with public safety and capital improvement funds for Stafford Builders to renovate new offices for code enforcement. Mayor Lester Miller explained during a recent Ask Mayor Miller that the department is expected to expand to work more shifts in the coming years and need extra space.
From 2018 SPLOST funds, the county approved nearly $229,000 for McLeroy Inc. to pave portions of Carolyn Crayton Park and appropriated $82,000 from the 2025 SPLOST for Oak Haven Studio for project management and landscape architectural design services for a park on Third Street between Plum and Walnut streets.
Wednesday, county leaders dedicated the portion of Third Street between Poplar and Cherry as Josh Rogers Way. The Downtown Business Improvement District has been working on a park for all ages in that median strip now named for the former CEO of NewTown who died unexpectedly in November of 2024.
Commissioners agreed to work with Macon Mall co-owners, the Hull Property Group, to repair stormwater drainage sinkholes in the parking lot. The county’s portion of the repairs, over $160,000 will be paid from its facilities maintenance account.
Commissioner Stanley Stewart asked about the status of the mall’s ownership, which changed before he was elected.
Mayor Lester Miller explained that Hull gifted the county’s Urban Development Authority about half of the property in 2017, including where the amphitheater is located. Macon-Bibb leases other offices for $1 per year at the mall, and will receive the other half after eight years, but some outparcels, such as Firestone and O’Charley’s remain under Hull’s control.
Grants and elections
Macon-Bibb County accepted nearly $300,000 in four grants through Georgia’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s Victims of Crime Act.
The Solicitor General’s Office gets close to $120,000 total for Fiscal Years ‘25 and ‘26, while over $179,000 goes to the District Attorney’s Office for the same years.
The Association of County Commissioners’ Civic Affairs Foundation will fund a Georgia County Internship Grant of nearly $3,300 to fund a legal intern with a $6,600 matching grant coming from the County Attorney Office’s budget.
The Macon Judicial Circuit Family Treatment Court also was awarded nearly $16,000 from a Fiscal Year ‘22 Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention with a $5,300 in-kind match met through existing employee salaries.
The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety allocated more than $31,000 in an FY ‘26 Highway Enforcement of Aggressive Traffic grant to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office with no local match.
The county called for a March 17 Special Election in District 5 to fill the unexpired term of Seth Clark, who resigned to run for Lieutenant Governor.
With a $450 fee, those interested in running can qualify at the Macon-Bibb Board of Elections between Feb. 11 and Feb 13.
Commissioners also approved qualifying fees based on 3% of the annual salary for other county offices on the Nonpartisan Election ballot for May 19. Fees are as follows: State Court Judge $5,078.24, Civil & Magistrate Judge $4,626.84, Board of Education Posts 7 and 8 $216, Macon Water Authority Chairman $558 and MWA District 1 $396.
The county issued alcohol licenses for Texaco at 1212 Eisenhower Parkway, Macon Drinks at 470 First St. and Bearfoot Tavern at 468 Second St.
Commissioners also accepted a donation of 0.088 acre near Allen Road from Charles Bryant Skipper III and approved the appointment of Louis Frank Tompkins to the Fire Civil Service Board.
— This story has been edited to reflect the new title for Chief Asst. County Attorney Michael McNeill. 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.
