The way you pay your garbage bill is changing — again

Macon garbage bills will be mailed out four times a year instead of annually.

The Macon-Bibb County Commission voted Tuesday in favor of an ordinance that returns garbage and recycling billing to a quarterly basis.

The move to quarterly billing is something some commissioners have said is a fairer way to pay for people who have financial hardships or own multiple rental properties.

“We should have never gone down this road to begin with,” Commissioner Mallory Jones said about the annual billing.

The quarterly payments will begin some time in 2019, since changes in the billing software need to be made, Tax Commissioner Wade McCord said.

McCord has said his office was willing to set up a payment system for residents who were unable to make the one-time annual payment. There were also exemptions that were based on disability or income level.

Macon-Bibb County residents began making annual payments for their 2018 services. The next round of bills — $240 for 2019’s services — were set to be sent out in September at the same time as property tax notices.

One reason some Macon-Bibb officials advocated for the annual billing was because the percentage of collections increased in other communities when garbage bills were sent out annually. Another change to billing procedures also meant an additional 6,000-plus parcels are being charged for solid waste services.

Collections for this year’s services are so far $9.48 million compared to $8.3 million in fiscal 2017 when quarterly billing was still in effect, based on figures from the Bibb County Tax Commissioner’s Office.

A petition was started earlier this year to request commissioners go back to quarterly billing or have a judge decide.

This story was originally published August 7, 2018 at 10:03 PM.