Macon-Bibb consolidation bill likely dead

ATLANTA — Barring a stunning reversal, the prospect of a 2010 vote to consolidate Macon and Bibb County will die today.

Local legislators are simply too far apart on the details of what a new government would look like to expect a compromise. There are several issues, but the primary sticking point seems to be a constraint on property taxes that state Sen. Cecil Staton, R-Macon, is holding to and state Sen. Robert Brown, D-Macon, apparently doesn’t support.

The two men would have to agree on a consolidation plan for it to make it through the state Senate and have any chance of being on ballots this November.

Staton and state Rep. Allen Peake, who has pushed hard on consolidation this year, said they were willing to compromise on a number of other issues that have separated them from Brown. But Brown, they said, has been unwilling to meet them in the middle.

“I’ve given on all these other things, I’m not giving on that,” Staton said of his property tax proposal.

Brown said he hasn’t changed his opinion on the issue, saying he’s unimpressed with consolidation’s chances at the ballot box and its ability to save money. That opinion didn’t change when Peake ramped the debate up several months ago.

“You can make government more convenient. ...” Brown said. “I don’t necessarily think you’ll get a tax savings.”

Staton has said repeatedly for him to support consolidation, it will have to save local taxpayers money. He said Wednesday he was willing to forego a series of checkpoints initially written into his version of the consolidation bill. Those checkpoints would have required a new consolidated government to cost 20 percent less than the current ones by 2017, though there was an allowance for inflation.

But Staton wanted to keep a new homestead exemption, meant to lower property tax bills on people’s homes, in place.

“(Brown) and I have fundamental differences on that,” Staton said.

All three men — Staton, Brown and Peake — said they don’t expect some sort of eleventh hour change of heart today, which is the 40th and final day of the 2010 legislative session and the deadline to call for a November referendum.

“Unless a miracle happens, I don’t see it getting resolved,” said Peake.

Staff writer Liz Fabian contributed to this report.