Bibb County officials are balking at a $1.2 million bill for equipment for its new recreation department.

During a committee meeting Tuesday, commissioners were skeptical of the scale of the requests, which were nearly double the recreation equipment item in last year’s sales-tax vote.

Chief Administrative Officer Steve Layson said the list should be seen as a “maximum wish list to begin with.” Layson said he would try to trim the equipment list, some of which needs to be bought soon to be ready for the county’s adoption of recreation duties in July.

“We’re probably going to shoot low and may have to ask for more at a later point, but I’d rather shoot low and not have a bunch of employees or equipment we might not need,” Layson said.

Dale “Doc” Dougherty, director of the Macon parks and recreation department, told The Telegraph that none of the antiquated city equipment is expected to transfer to the county.

“Backhoe, dump truck, fork lift, none of that stuff’s coming with us,” Dougherty said. “Come July 1st, if we don’t have that stuff we’re limited in what we’re going to be able to do.”

The county will become responsible for some 33 city parks, consisting of some 700 acres, on July 1.

For more on this story, read Wednesday’s Telegraph or return to Macon.com.