438 Bibb County public safety employees receive incentive bonus

Macon-Bibb County recently paid out its fifth installment of a $9.3 million incentive program for public safety employees who have worked for the county for at least a decade.

The incentive was distributed among six public safety agencies. This year, 438 employees were awarded the bonuses on a tiered scale.

Chris Floore, chief communications officer for the county, said the program was a result of Mayor Lester Miller’s focus on improving public safety when he entered office in 2021.

“Public safety has been and remains a top priority for my administration and the Commission, and one way to improve that is by retaining the people who continue to protect our community,” Miller said in a news release. “We are making the investment in them, and we hope this will help attract people to join our team and keep us all safer.”

The incentive program is being offered at a time when the departments, especially the sheriff’s office, are struggling to recruit and retain employees who may earn larger paychecks in surrounding counties, according to reporting from 13WMAZ.

According to reporting from The Macon Melody, the starting salary for certified deputy sheriffs in Bibb County during the 2024-25 fiscal year was $48,946. The starting salary for a certified deputy sheriff in Houston County is $49,691, according to information obtained through a records request.

Edwards said the incentive program will allow the department to retain senior employees who have institutional knowledge.

The incentive “helps with the retention of those individuals who think, ‘Well, I know if I stay another year or two, I’m going to get that normal incentive bonus for being here.’ And it’s about holding retention,” Edwards said.

Edwards, who has worked in the department for nearly four decades and was appointed to his current position in January 2022 by Miller, said staffing shortages the county has faced since consolidation in 2014 have also been assuaged by higher starting salaries for recruits to public safety departments.