Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller stuck to Tuesday’s county commission agenda and sidestepped a discussion of this year’s 50 homicides before scheduled site visits.

Before adjourning into executive session, Commissioner Al Tillman asked for a “point of personal privilege, please.”

Miller responded: “This is for a point of privilege like we’re supposed to do, or just some new issue you’re trying to introduce?”

“A new issue, I mean it’s an ongoing issue,” Tillman said. “I want to address these 50 homicides that community folks are calling about, and I think as a commissioner I have a right to address a point of personal privilege and I’d like this commission and the community to hear it.”

“I appreciate that,” Miller replied. “We’re not going to do that today.”

Tillman and commissioners Virgil Watkins and Elaine Lucas voted against moving into executive session, but were outnumbered.

The mayor had three site visits scheduled after the executive session which ran well over an hour.

“I’m not going to go into a two-hour discussion about crime,” Miller was heard saying on an open microphone as he left Commission Chambers to go into closed session at City Hall.

In the first 40 minutes of the open meeting, the commission tackled alcohol license issues, funding for the district attorney’s School Justice Partnership and tweaking the process to apply for new streetlights. All measures are expected to be added to the consent agenda to be finalized in bulk Sept. 20.

Here is a summation of the commission’s Tuesday meeting through a collection of tweets during the proceedings and site visits.

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