MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb County Commission is set to vote on an over $174 million budget for fiscal year 2022 on Tuesday.
The proposed budget outlines the mayor's top priorities--from public safety to cleaning up blight. As usual, public safety will take up the biggest part of the over $174 million budget with over $80 million.
Another big priority is beautification and code enforcement.
"I'd like to see these apartments, these houses and stuff fixed. I'd like to see more families moving in. I'd like to see more people coming together as one," said Robert Bonner Jr., who lives in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood.
Bonner says he's ready for the county to bust more blight in his neighborhood, especially the buildings that have been vacant and decaying for years.
Mayor Lester Miller estimates the demolition of 150 to 200 structures during the budget year. He's also hoping to see more than 300 buildings revitalized or built.
"It's economic development. It's encouraging people that growth is here in Macon-Bibb County," Miller said.
With that, Miller says he wants $500,000 to code enforcement, the department that cracks down on blight. Half of that money would help to hire five new code enforcement officers.
"This will allow us to get caught up and stay ahead of the game," Miller said.
He says catching up is important because before he took office, Macon-Bibb County let demolition permits expire for at least 600 blighted buildings.
"Getting back in the position where we can either demolition those or rehab those," Miller said, adding that he thinks the county will be back on track with those 600 structures in the next 12-18 months.
Miller also wants to pour money into cleanup. He'd like to buy up to 10 cameras that Code Enforcement will monitor to catch people illegally dumping.
"We've had at least three instances in the past month where we've been able to catch people dumping illegally and causing some problems in our neighborhoods," Miller said.
The commission is set to vote on the budget Tuesday at 6 p.m.