These cows don’t have to mooove from Macon-Bibb land

Cows will continue to roam on 40 acres of land owned by Macon-Bibb County.

The County Commission agreed Tuesday to renew a lease on the tract of property along Lower Poplar Road where John Walker Sr. and his family have had cattle and stored hay since 2004.

“He’s currently using his cows to mow our grass,” Mayor Robert Reichert joked at Tuesday’s meeting.

The county did not realize until recently contacted by the family that the contract expired in 2014. The Walkers have continued paying rent on the land.

“It’s a little bit of egg on our face for not realizing when it had expired,” Reichert said with a laugh. “I feel a little guilty saying this but we went up on the rent.”

With Tuesday’s vote, the Walkers have a new five-ear agreement that now bumps up the yearly payment from $900 to $1,200. The resolution says the Macon-Bibb County Recreation Department currently has no plans to use the property. The county has the right to end the agreement with 90 days notice.

This story was originally published December 22, 2016 at 11:06 AM with the headline "These cows don’t have to mooove from Macon-Bibb land."