Macon-Bibb County commissioners approved the Fiscal Year 2027 budget Tuesday evening without any revisions despite nearly a dozen people speaking out against funding Flock cameras at the June 2 public hearing.
Mayor Lester Miller said the $221.5 million spending plan is a “reasonable budget” focused on priorities as “things cost more than they used to,” so the county couldn’t meet all the funding requests.
Miller asked departments to cut spending by up to 10% except public safety expenses for the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and Macon-Bibb County Fire Department.
“We can’t always provide everything that everyone needs unless taxpayers are just willing to open up their wallet and give the money for everything that they have, so we have to have priorities,” Miller said. “I wish we had another $40 million to give everybody else who asked for the money, but certainly we don’t have a wallet like that.”
Although the mayor expects to hold the millage rate to 9.575, the final tax digest to calculate expected property tax won’t be available until later this summer. The county also will reevaluate the budget in January to determine if adjustments are necessary depending on tax revenue.
Commissioners also mapped out spending plans for the expected $44 million to be collected in FY27 from the 2025 SPLOST, including $21.3 million to pay down debt. Last summer, the county took out $50 million in bonds to begin SPLOST projects before all tax revenue came in.
No specific projects are named in the rest of the list, only these amounts by categories: $5.7 million for roads and sidewalks, $5 million for public safety, and $12 million for a renamed category of “Proprietary Properties” that replaces references to “Cultural & Recreation” in all ordinances and resolutions concerning the 2025 SPLOST.
The county adopted the FY27 proposed budgets for more than $3.1 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, including:
- — Emergency Solutions Grants of more than $161,000.
- — HOME Investment Partnership funds of more than $829,000, with additional HOME program income of more than $125,000 that will require a match of $103,000 from the county.
- — Community Development Block Grants of more than $1.9 million, including $85,000 in revolving loan funds and $17,450 in general funds.
In other agenda items, Lake Tobesofkee will cap off the Fourth of July with $27,500 in fireworks, according to a five-year professional services agreement with Munnerlynn Pyrotechnics authorized by commissioners that comes up for renewal annually, Miller said.
Commissioners also:
- — Approved nearly $149,000 in furniture from Advent Business Interiors for the Code Enforcement office expansion into the former Macon Police Department’s Detective Bureau.
- — Accepted a $50,000 Emergency Management Performance Grant from the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency for an EMA vehicle to transport shelter supplies and agreed to match that with $50,000 worth of in-kind services.
- — Approved a Judicial Council of Georgia grant of more than $119,000 from American Rescue Plan Act funding for the Macon Judicial Circuit.
- — Accepted a $59,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FEMA to use three Bibb County Sheriff’s Office certified bomb technicians through July 18 to help secure areas around FIFA World Cup matches.
- — Approved firefighter David Cole’s appointment to the Defined Contribution and Deferred Compensation Plan board.
- — Issued a final alcohol license denial for One Stop 2025 at 4141 Houston Ave. that wasn’t selling enough fresh foods to qualify for a license and is considered a vice mart under the county’s legal definition. The county also did not approve a license for Jois Pick and Scratch at 3691 Spencer Circle.
- — Approved alcohol licenses for Texaco Food Mart at 2893 Napier Ave., Vida Latin Kitchen at 3267 Vineville Ave., Extra Mile at 2630 Emery Highway, and A1 Stop and Shop at 1433 Eisenhower Parkway.
Highlights from the meeting were captured in the following collection of social media posts.
— Peyton Anderson Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government agencies for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
