Plans to hold Macon-Bibb meetings halted by no-shows hours after Irma strikes

Tropical Storm Irma spared the Macon-Bibb County Government Center from losing power, unlike thousands of other homes and buildings across the county.

And on the morning after the storm, the plan was to still have the County Commission’s committee meetings. But there was one problem: Only three commissioners and the mayor were present.

Understandably, with tens of thousands of residents without power and many roads blocked because of debris and downed power lines, five commissioners were absent from Tuesday’s meeting, held just hours after the height of Irma’s wrath had passed through.

The three commissioners who showed up were Bert Bivins, Virgil Watkins and Gary Bechtel.

Committee meetings will instead be held before next week’s regular commission meeting. They’ll take place at the normal time, when county officials have their precommission meeting to review the evening’s agenda.

It’s a pretty bare-bones agenda, with only eight resolutions commissioners are expected to vote on this Tuesday.

There are several items appointing people to various boards, a five-year work program and capital improvement updates and appropriating funds to build homes for Habitat for Humanity.

This story was originally published September 15, 2017 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Plans to hold Macon-Bibb meetings halted by no-shows hours after Irma strikes."