Macon-Bibb garbage collection fees could rise under new solid waste plan

A Macon-Bibb County committee approved a plan Tuesday to increase the residential cost for garbage and recycling collection countywide.

The measure, approved 3-1 in the commission's Operations and Finance Committee, is set to be heard by the full commission next week.

The committee recommended the fee change as part of a new solid waste master plan aimed at providing more efficient services. The change also would impact who picks up garbage for some residents.

The new fee, which would go into effect in January if approved, would provide a countywide rate of $20 a month. Currently, people inside the former unincorporated Bibb County pay $12.75 a month while residents in the former Macon city limits pay $15 a month.

The plan also involves extending an agreement for 60 months with Advanced Disposal, which would collect residential waste and small yard waste countywide. The company now picks up garbage for residents living in the former unincorporated portion of the county.

Some commissioners say they're worried about the fee increase and how it could impact about 70 employees of the Macon-Bibb County Solid Waste Department. Commissioners Elaine Lucas and Bert Bivins said it appears that by contracting out residential collection, it likely would lead to downsizing.

"No matter what else this sounds like, ultimately it's a way to still consider getting rid of those employees," Bivins said.

The new plan would allow the Solid Waste Department to focus its efforts on recycling, collecting large amounts of yard waste and bulk items such as furniture, said Solid Waste Director Kevin Barkley.

The master plan's recycling component ties into efforts to divert more waste from the county's main landfill. The plan is to close it around 2020 at an estimated cost of $10 million, Barkley has said.

The goal for the county is to have recycling available to each household and to open a recycling center by 2019. Barkley said he had success implementing a mandatory recycling program in Griffin.

"We're not trying to lose any jobs at the Solid Waste Department," he said. "We just want to reallocate how we're doing services with us and (Advanced Disposal)."

Voting in favor of the measure in committee Tuesday were Commissioners Gary Bechtel, Scotty Shepherd and Larry Schlesinger. Lucas voted against it, and Commissioner Virgil Watkins was absent.

The $20 fee is the same rate charged in Perry and Forsyth. It is $7.16 lower than the rate charged in Augusta-Richmond County, according to figures presented Tuesday. Houston County's rate is $13.45 per month, but part of that cost is offset by the sale of methane gas at the landfill, Barkley said.

Commissioner Al Tillman said he would prefer residents see the improved services prior to a fee increase.

The changes would benefit residents while also maintaining the workforce, Bechtel said.

"You take pressure off our landfill, which might extend some years on that, and find a way to pay for closure over a long-term period," he said.

BASEBALL TALKS

Representatives from B&D Venues spoke Tuesday with the County Commission about the study it's embarking on to see if Macon can support another professional baseball team.

The feasibility study will examine areas such as how far people are willing to drive for a game, the economic impact of a team and the best site for a stadium. The most likely minor league team that Macon could handle is another Single-A affiliate, said Rich Neumann , vice president of major accounts for B&D Venues.

In 2002, Macon lost its Atlanta Braves farm team to Rome where a new stadium was built.

Typically, the construction of a baseball stadium is about 70 to 80 percent publicly funded, Neumann said.

"The affiliated minor league baseball model in the right communities with the right site and right operators has proven over and over again to be (economically) sufficient," he said.

The firm will return in December to present a market breakdown and perform more stadium site analysis.

BLIGHT FUNDS FOR ARTS VILLAGE

The Operations and Finance Committee passed a resolution Tuesday that proposes using $973,654 of blight bond funds to turn the Clinton Street auditorium into a community center.

The resolution allows commissioners the option of using a portion of their blight bond funds for the renovations that will turn the former auditorium on the Bibb Mill site into the centerpiece of an east Macon arts village.

Each of the nine commissioners has $1 million to spend on various blight projects in Bibb County.

UPGRADES TO BUILDING

The commission are scheduled to vote next week on a proposal for $2 million in building upgrades as part of a 10-year lease extension for office space for state Secretary of State offices.

The rent from the lease would cover the cost for improvements to the 83,000-square-foot property at 237 Coliseum Drive, according to the resolution that was approved Tuesday by the Operations and Finance Committee.

To contact writer Stanley Dunlap, call 744-4623 or find him on Twitter@stan_telegraph.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Macon-Bibb garbage collection fees could rise under new solid waste plan ."