Macon-Bibb commission approves consent agenda: software purchase, aid agreement, demolition tipping fees and midyear budget amendment

At its Feb. 20 meeting the Macon‑Bibb County Commission approved a bundled consent agenda of routine and substantive items ranging from software and vendor contracts to a midyear budget amendment and street dedications.

Key items approved (voice votes; motions moved, seconded and carried):

• A statewide mutual‑aid assistance agreement with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and the Georgia Homeland Security Agency (routine annual authorization).

• Purchase order to Tyler Technologies for New World Safety software licenses: $301,346.93, payable from the IT department’s enterprise applications budget.

• Independent contractor agreements with Mac Face Marketplace, Co., and Express Services to provide temporary laborers for manual labor projects (funded from the solid‑waste budget contract labor line); commissioners discussed prisoner labor alternatives and cost considerations.

• Professional services agreement with Francis and Wade Limited Co. for Linear Park ($68,000), funded from a competitive state grant, for community engagement and project management (see separate article).

• Purchase order to Mead Road Transfer Station: $200,000 from the blight‑elimination fund to cover landfill tipping fees associated with demolition of blighted houses; chair noted the county has torn down 631 houses to date and described processes for filing liens when applicable.

• Amendment with Southern Behavioral Services up to $99,320 to expand the county employee assistance program from three to up to eight visits per employee; HR representatives described prior vendor changes and training/referral procedures for supervisors and HR staff.

• Emergency repair services contract with Warren Associates for Lake Topasaki docks and seawall repairs: $315,257 (as presented in the agenda).

• Acceptance of two Georgia County internship program grants for summer 2024 (Public Defender and County Attorney internships), each with grant amounts around $3,259 and local matches as noted in the agenda.

• Two street dedications honoring the late Reverend Curtis Raines Sr. (Robinson Road segment) and Reverend Bryant Raines (Hollingsworth Road segment), each with up to $500 appropriated for signage; commissioners moved and approved these dedications separately from the larger consent vote.

• An ordinance authorizing purchase of approximately 1.34 acres of real property for not to exceed $730,000 (agenda item moved and approved and sent to consent agenda).

• A midyear fiscal‑year 2024 budget amendment amending revenue lines to recognize $1,160,000 in increased revenue and appropriating a total of $15,493,909 across general fund and capital improvement items; chair noted a planned debt prepayment of roughly $9,900,000 included in the figures.

The meeting included an executive‑session period to consult with legal counsel about pending or potential litigation; a motion arising from executive session was presented after the closed session. During public comment, Reverend Lydia Meredith spoke about persistent blight and code‑enforcement issues on Cortland Avenue and in Cherokee Heights and said she would return to future commission meetings until conditions improve. The commission adjourned after announcing its next regular meeting would be the first Tuesday in March during Cherry Blossom season.