Macon-Bibb County commissioners adopt updated budget

The Macon-Bibb County Commission agreed on an updated budget Tuesday and also plans to move employees to a different department.

The commission approved a mid-year budget adjustment that would increase expenses in the general fund by $1.3 million. The bump in the general fund from $142.8 million to $144.1 million comes after additional budget requests.

Officials will have a more in-depth conversation about the budget and projected finances in January when the commission is on a retreat in Athens, said Julie Moore, assistant county manager for budget and planning.

The latest figures are “a snapshot to say this is where we are and what we anticipate,” she said.

“I think this is the first budget as we settle into it that there is not anything terribly unexpected,” Moore said.

Tuesday’s vote also means that a group of Parks and Beautification employees will shift to Public Works to try to help clear rights of way of overgrowth. The county also needs to increase the recreation staff to better handle expanded facilities and other improvements paid for through a special purpose sales tax.

“We know bringing in these recreation facilities requires more people,” Moore said.

The sheriff’s office is also understaffed by more than 100 employees, and next year there will be a large-scale push to hire additional employees, Sheriff David Davis said.

While expenses in the general fund have risen, the county continues to monitor the revenue coming in. Moore said the county could see an uptick in revenue after holiday shopping ends and when funds from business licenses and the like come in.

“A lot of these revenue sources are backloaded,” Commissioner Gary Bechtel said.

Beall’s Hill

The commission also approved spending $1.6 million for streetscape improvements in the Beall’s Hill neighborhood.

The upgrades will cover new sidewalks and lighting paid for with blight bonds. The improvements will take place from Oglethorpe Street to Ross Street and down to First Street.

Since the early 2000s, Beall’s Hill has been transformed in part due to a $3 million investment from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Also, the former Oglethorpe Homes public housing development has been replaced by the mixed income development Tattnall Place.

New director

The commission voted to appoint Sam Kitchens as the director of the Parks and Beautification Department.

Kitchens has served as interim director of the department since October and previously served as second in command for the department that manages more than 120 parks and green spaces.

This story was originally published December 20, 2016 at 7:26 PM with the headline "Macon-Bibb County commissioners adopt updated budget."