Macon Mayor Proposes $3 Million in Public Safety Spending from School Camera Revenue
Mayor Lester Miller has recommended allocating $3 million in revenue generated from school public safety cameras towards bolstering public safety employee recruitment and retention, as well as enhancing pedestrian infrastructure. The proposal was made at the April 1, 2025, mayoral meeting.
“The money is going to where the state law requires it to go,” stated Mayor Miller. “Public safety is where it’s supposed to go. This money will be used effectively and will make a difference.”
The proposed allocation includes $2 million to increase the salaries of non-certified public safety employees, both current and future hires. These raises, estimated at approximately $5,000 annually, will initially benefit the Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office personnel.
Fire Chief Shane Edwards expressed optimism about the impact on firefighter retention, noting, “It has been an ongoing challenge for us to retain firefighters because they are leaving to find higher pay in other surrounding departments. This increase will help retain those firefighters and also allow us to be more competitive when hiring new recruits.”
Sheriff David Davis echoed this sentiment, stating, “When we compared our starting salaries with some of our surrounding neighbors, we’re lagging behind. That’s why this will really put us in a competitive nature, starting them off at $45,700, right along there for a non-certified officer.”
An additional $1 million is proposed to be allocated to the Bibb County School District. These funds will support the recruitment and retention of School Resource Officers (SROs) and will also be used to install new or improve existing crosswalks, enhancing safety for students walking to school. This initiative builds upon a previous allocation that provided funding for school crossing guards.
Since the implementation of school zone speed cameras targeting drivers exceeding the limit by more than 10 mph, Macon-Bibb has collected $8,909,152.76 in revenue. To date, $8,292,000 of these funds has been spent or allocated to various public safety projects, including:
- Public safety employee salary increases
- School Resource Officer & Crossing Guard salaries
- Crosswalk installation and improvements
- Flock, Verkada, and Adapt to Solve Cameras for Sheriff’s Office crime-solving
- Knox boxes for emergency access to schools
- School zone flashing lights
- Public safety vehicles
- Other essential equipment
Mayor Miller emphasized that this continued investment demonstrates the county’s commitment to prioritizing public safety and the well-being of its students.
