Country singer Jason Aldean may soon have a downtown Macon street named after him

Country music star Jason Aldean could become the latest musician in Macon to be officially recognized for his impact in the community.

A resolution sponsored by Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert calls for establishing “Jason Aldean Way” along a portion of Pine Street between Spring and New streets. The designation would be a way to honor the Macon native’s contribution to Children’s Hospital, Navicent Health, the resolution said.

Aldean performed at an April 21, 2016, benefit concert at the Grand Opera House that raised $500,000 for the Children’s Hospital. The Macon-Bibb County Commission is expected to vote on the “Jason Aldean Way” measure at Tuesday’s meeting.

If approved, Aldean would join a list of other musicians in Macon to have streets or bridges bearing their names.

One of the most prominent is Little Richard Penniman Boulevard, which connects Mercer University Drive with downtown. Also, the Otis Redding Bridge crosses the Ocmulgee River near Gateway Park where a statue of the soul legend is located.

In 2014, a portion of Vineville Avenue — from Pio Nono Avenue to New Street — was designated as Duane Allman Memorial Boulevard. The Raymond Berry Oakley III Bridge is also located along Vineville crossing Interstate 75. The boulevard and bridge are by The Allman Brothers Band Museum at the Big House that was once the unofficial headquarters for the rock band.

And another memorial bridge is named after “Godfather of Soul” James Brown. The Walnut Street bridge, which spans I-75, is in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood.

Garbage fees

If the County Commission approves changes in how garbage fees are billed Tuesday, residents likely will not see it on their property tax bills until 2019.

The ordinance proposes having garbage and recycling services billed annually instead of the quarterly payments. The change could increase the amount of collections the county receives as the costs assessed to each residential parcel of land instead of users.

The move from quarterly to annual billing would go into effect in October. Property owners would pay for 15 months of service in October. Beginning in 2019, it would be paid on a 12-month basis and would be part of the property tax bill.

“I’m leaning more toward, because of timing, putting it on a separate bill the first year,” Tax Commissioner Wade McCord said.

The ordinance also calls for a cost increase beginning in 2019. Property owners would pay the same $20 monthly rate over the fist 15 months, but in 2019 the fee would be $264 for the year, or $22 a month. In following years the collection rate would be determined by inflation.

Commissioner Elaine Lucas said she is willing to look into whether the annual billing will be an improvement, but she is opposed to having people pay more for the services.

“We just increased them when we turned (garbage collection) over to a private hauler,” she said.

Garbage containers

Commissioners will also vote Tuesday on a resolution to purchase 2,874 containers for about $140,000.

The county now has a backlog of about 1,900 requests for the 96-gallon cans that have been rolling out since last year. The county still has about 1,500 recycling bins available.

Anyone interested in requesting new garbage or recycling containers is asked to call 478-751-7400 or 478-803-0499 or use See, Click, Fix at www.maconbibb.us/seeclickfix.

This story was originally published February 6, 2017 at 11:55 AM with the headline "Country singer Jason Aldean may soon have a downtown Macon street named after him."