Crawford County and Roberta might consolidate governments

A proposal to combine Crawford County and Roberta governments could be voted on there sometime this year.

Public meetings are underway to inform locals and hear their thoughts on the measure.

Officials said there is no firm timetable in place and they are not sure when an election would be. Nor is there a clear date set for when the consolidated government would commence.

Authorities said elected officials in both governments, whose terms are in progress, would have to complete their terms.

Crawford County has about 12,500 residents, a thousand or so of whom live in Roberta, which lies about 20 miles west of Macon.

"It really doesn't make a lot of sense to have two governing bodies overseeing that kind of scope of population," County Manager Pat Kelly said. "It made sense to us to try to streamline services as much as we can."

Consolidation plans have been in the works for several months. Officials hope to fashion a charter for the combined government in the coming weeks.

County attorney David L. Mincey III said the Middle Georgia Regional Commission is helping with the process.

"They're asking all the questions and getting the feedback from the community," he said.

"We're trying to get it to Atlanta to be approved to put on a ballot this year. We hope to get the question of consolidation on before November. That way we'll know how to structure the terms of the elected offices that are coming in."

Kelly said Roberta's 11 or so full-time employees would join forces with about 90 county workers under the combined government.

Asked what locals' opinions are about the proposal, Kelly said, "If I had to put my finger in the air to test the wind, I think that it would be blowing toward yes. The meetings that we've had that have talked about consolidation, we don't get huge turnouts but I think we get a cross-section of folks and the majority, I think, are of the opinion that it makes sense."

Roberta Mayor Becky Smith, though, said she thinks more discussion is needed.

"They're trying to move it too fast," she said. "The county is the one that's pushing it."

Consolidation efforts across the midstate have had different outcomes in recent years. Voters approved a consolidation of Macon and Bibb County governments in 2012, but similar efforts for Milledgeville and Baldwin County failed this past November.

State Rep. Robert Dickey, R-Musella, said he was hopeful to "have some legislation" on the Crawford County matter during this winter's legislative session.

"I'm trying to strengthen the city," he said. ... "It's the place where our schools are ... (the) library is, technical school, the only sewer system in the county. The industrial park is there. It needs to be a strong, vibrant community and it just makes a lot of sense to me to pull both together, all pulling in the same direction."

Dickey said he has been considering consolidation there for several years.

"I think the impetus came from when I served many years on the Industrial Authority," he said. "Roberta was our only place that we could bring industry to look at sites because it had all the infrastructure. ... With consolidation, you're trying to get everybody on the same page. It was awkward at times trying to engage the city and the county."

Dickey had no details yet on what the charter would contain, such as how many commissioners there would be. He is looking to the results of the public meetings before writing a bill.

If Dickey and Crawford's other legislator, state Sen. John F. Kennedy, R-Macon, both support the bill, it could move through the Legislature without opposition in just a few days.

Telegraph writer Maggie Lee contributed to this report.

This story was originally published January 18, 2016 at 8:25 PM with the headline "Crawford County and Roberta might consolidate governments ."