MACON, Ga. — Macon's seen a lot of growth since voters approved the county's latest SPLOST. Improvements to the Macon City Auditorium, purchasing land for the East Bank Development and road repaving are all highlights.
Now, the county's nearing its collections cap and it's almost time for a new SPLOST. Mayor Lester Miller projects the current $280 million SPLOST will reach that cap next June. Current and incoming Macon-Bibb commissioners will need to act quickly.
"Soon as the election is over, whether it's May 21, or maybe there's a runoff, whoever's got a seat at the table at that time will have some input on the next SPLOST," Mayor Lester Miller said.
With road repaving already a focus, Miller wants to spend $50 million to fix up the worst ones.
"I want to do 25 times as much roads, so I think people will buy into that. There's no getting around the fact that at some point in time, we're going to need a new detention facility. It's going to be either upgraded or rebuilt," Miller said.
His second point first came up in October as Miller announced support for building a new jail as one of the next SPLOST projects.
Miller hopes voters will also get behind new entertainment spaces. He says the county may look to demolish the 55-year-old Macon Coliseum and build a new venue in its place.
"If you're going to maintain your status in tourism and attraction, you're going to have to keep up with that and facilities too. What better way to do that is through using some of the SPLOST dollars. I would look for input from the private sector, and I think we'll get that, to help build those facilities," Miller explained.
Miller says they'll have public input sessions for Maconites to discuss what's important to them. Once those finish up, commissioners will vote on a list to go on the ballot. Miller says voters should get to decide in March 2025. If approved, the SPLOST would continue as normal in June.
Mayoral candidate Shekita Maxwell says she'll discuss her plans for the SPLOST at a meet and greet this weekend. She declined further comment.