Mayor Unveils Macon-Bibb County Budget with Fourth Consecutive Tax Cut Proposal
![Mayor Unveils Macon-Bibb County Budget with Fourth Consecutive Tax Cut Proposal Mayor Unveils Macon-Bibb County Budget with Fourth Consecutive Tax Cut Proposal](https://thecentralgeorgian.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/macon-city-hall.jpg)
On Tuesday, May 14, 2024, Mayor Lester Miller presented the Proposed Fiscal Year 2025 Budget (July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025) to the Commission and public. In his presentation, the Mayor announced a proposed property tax reduction for the fourth consecutive year, decreasing the rate from 20.331 mills when he took office to 9.9 mills.
The proposed budget also includes pay increases for all County employees, with some employees having already seen an increase and others set to receive raises starting in July if the budget is approved.
“Macon-Bibb County is working together, and we continue to climb,” said Mayor Miller. “You’ll see in this budget, the fruits of our labor.”
The budget reflects the growth in Macon-Bibb County since 2022, increasing the total budget from $174 million to $211.6 million while still including a tax reduction.
“I am so excited about the direction we are heading in,” Mayor Miller stated. “It’s not every day that a community can say they’ve increased all their focus points by millions of dollars per department, given raises to all of their employees, continued to support public safety, maintained excellent infrastructure, and decreased the tax rate by 52%.”
Over the last four years, funding for public safety increased by nearly $16 million, recreation and beautification by more than $4.5 million, and economic development by more than $4.5 million.
“It takes a lot of people behind the scenes to make this happen,” said Mayor Miller. “While I may be presenting this budget, we couldn’t do it without our great folks in the Budget and Finance Departments.”
A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for Tuesday, June 4 at 5:00 p.m., and the Commission will vote on Tuesday, June 18, at 6:00 p.m.