‘Blight tax’ is going up in Macon after commission vote. Here’s where the money will go

The Macon-Bibb County Board of Commissioners voted to increase taxes on blighted properties at a special called meeting Tuesday.

In a bid to strengthen the tax, the county commission voted unanimously to more than double the millage rate multiplier for blighted properties to bring it up to 15. The new rate will kick in at the start of 2026.

The county first created its “blight tax” in 2019 as a way to push the owners of properties deemed blighted to repair and renovate. However, the millage rate has gone down since then. In 2019, the county millage rate was 20.692. Now, it’s down to 9.575.

Millage rates determine taxes for every $1,000 of a property’s value, so a millage rate of 15 means that a property owner owes $15 for every $1,000 of property value.

While the lower millage rate means less property taxes for Macon residents, it has also removed some of the incentive to keep properties well-maintained, said Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller.

“In an effort to keep up with our millage rate and to make sure we handle these cases accordingly, we’ve agreed to increase that amount to make it the same, equivalent amount of taxes we were getting back six years ago so that they do the work,” Miller said.

Miller said most blighted properties in Bibb County are speculative, and he doesn’t expect the increased tax to have a significant impact on Bibb County residents. Investors often hold the properties in the hopes of making money off them as the county redevelops.

“In the meantime, we have property that’s getting neglected here, and we want to address that,” Miller said during Tuesday’s meeting.

The resolution will also split the revenue from the blight tax with the Bibb County School District.

Money from the tax currently goes to the county alone, which re-invests the money in its blight remediation program. Splitting it with the school district will improve public education in the county, Bibb County officials said.

“We want to make sure that our school system is taken care of,” Miller said.

The blight tax is part of the county’s broader fight to remove unsafe and abandoned properties and revitalize areas. Since the Blight Fight initiative first started in 2021, the county has demolished hundreds of old buildings, with many properties going to the Macon Bibb County Land Bank Authority, which redevelops them into affordable housing and other amenities to improve the community.