At the Macon-Bibb County Commission Meeting on Tuesday, August 20, 2019, Unionville Missionary Baptist Church Dr. Ike Edwin Mack delivered the prayer. He’s a native of Cochran, Georgia, and was born to Ms. Lean Gordon. He was nurtured, reared, and divinely directed by his great-grandmother, Mrs. Lethia Wright, and godparents, Mrs. Ruth Roberson and the late Rev. Wilson C. Roberson. Dr. Mack became pastor of Unionville Missionary Baptist Church in 1986. He was nourished with graceful qualities, stern substance, and seasoned maturity that would embolden his spiritual formation, align his personal growth and ultimately shape him into the man he was destined to bet Dr. Ike Edwin Mack is married to the former Eloise Cliett of Byron, Georgia, and they are the delightfully honored parents of one daughter, Brittany Chemere Mack .
Two young men led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance. Here’s information on those two:
Austin Hanks is an 8th Grader at Clifton Ridge Middle School where he has maintained an all “A” average in all classes for his Middle School term. He was awarded “President Barack Obama’s Academic Achievement Award” for academic excellence. He is a “Jones County Rising Star Student” and has been an “A” student his whole educational journey. Austin is an avid singer; he is a member of the Unionville Missionary Baptist Church Youth Choir and Youth Praise Team, under the leadership of Pastor I Edwin Mack. He is also a member of the Mercer University Youth Choir. His first love is football and he is the “Center” for the Clifton Ridge Cougar Football Team. Austin is the son of Ms. Sarah Hanks and the grandson of Mrs. Deborah Davis.
JaKobe Gallemore was born June 11, 2004 to his proud mother, Audrey Gallemore. He currently resides here in Macon, where he is a fifteen-year-old sophomore at Central High School. As a 2nd year member of JROTC and FBLA, he continues to maintain good grades in all subjects. He is a member of Mercer University’s Upward Bound Program, looking forward to pursuing a career as an Architect.
JaKobe is a member of the Unionville Youth Choir. He also greets and welcomes the congregation on 2nd Sunday mornings and is a ‘Merging Leader” with the Children’s Church Ministry. He is a 5-year disciple of Unionville Missionary Baptist Church, where the honorable Dr. I. Edwin Mack is pastor.
We want to thank these gentlemen for their involvement in the civic process.
Violet Poe with the Pedestrian Safety Review Board was honored at the meeting. She recently won the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety’s “Highway Safety Champion Award.” Click here to read more about the honor and the Pedestrian Safety Review Board’s mission.
Old Business:
The Board approved two new directors for Macon-Bibb County Departments. Pat Raines is the new Solid Waste Department Director, and Mike Glisson is the new Parks and Beautification Department Director. Congratulations to both of them!
Commissioners approved a Professional Services Agreement with NFP Corporation for brokerage and consulting services regarding employee benefit programs.
The board approved a recommended investment fund lineup for participants in the newly created 457(b) Deferred Compensation & 401(A) plans.
Commissioners also approved a request for the Health Care and Retirement Benefits Committee to be a part of assessing and making recommendations on the county’s organizational chart and pay scale. You can read more about it here.
The Board approved reappointing Todd Dixon and Joe Robinson, and appointing Liana Rogers, to the Region 5 Emergency Medical Services Council.
Commissioners voted to extend an agreement with the Houston County Board of Health WIC Program to lease office space at 456 Oglethorpe Street.
The Board approved a Professional Service Agreement with CompliancePoint, Inc. to provide Data Security Auditing Services.
Commissioners approved two work detail agreements. Click each one for details:
- Dooly State Prison to work with Public Works Department
- McEver Probation Detention to work with Public Works, Parks & Beautification, Solid Waste Departments
South Bibb Recreation Center is getting a splash pad! Commissioners approved purchasing the equipment from Great Souther Recreation. The money for this project comes from the voter-approved SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax).
The Board approved using $2 million in SPLOST funds for an agreement with Smallwood, Reynolds, Stewart, Stewart, and Associates for Architectural, Engineering, and Design Services in preparations for renovations at the Macon City Auditorium. Click here to read that contract, and click here to read about the voter-approved SPLOST money for the project.
Several roads all over Macon-Bibb will be repaired and resurfaced. Commissioners approved a plan using nearly $700,000 in SPLOST funds, and $2 million from Georgia Department of Transportation LMIG (Local Maintenance Improvement Grant) funds for the county-wide project. Click here to see the list of roads included.
The Board approved using voter-approved SPLOST funds for improvements to the Booker T. Washington Community Center (In Historic Pleasant Hill, on Monroe Street) along with a plan to demolish blighted houses on Pursley Street.
Commissioners approved SPLOST money for the design of a parking deck for the new courthouse addition, and for upgrades to communications towers and radios.
Each time SPLOST money is moved between eligible projects, the Board must approve that change through a resolution. At the meeting, they approved the 21st amendment to the SPLOST Project Timeline. This includes the money for the aforementioned roof renovations at the City Auditorium and the new parking deck for the courthouse. It also covers money to be used for lighting upgrades, fence repairs, and court resurfacing at the John Drew Smith Tennis Center.
The Board voted to accept a $44,640 grant from the Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Program. The money will be used for a training app, outreach programs, and to hire a firearms examiner.
Commissioners approved an organizational chart change and supplemental budget adjustment to hire two positions in the Macon Judicial Circuit. Click each for details:
The Board also approved a change for the Bibb Superior Court Clerk’s Office to hire an additional General Clerk. You can read those details here.
Commissioners approved the reinstatement of a County Tennis Center Manger, and for the Human Resources Department to develop a job description, and to revise the Recreation Department’s Organizational chart to reflect that change.
A popular spot for runners is renamed “The Macon Tracks Club Fitness & Training Triangle”. The median parking area is at the intersection of Rivoli Ridge and Old Forsyth Road.
Commissioners approved adding Joe Allen, Charise Stephens, and Rachel Hollar to our Pedestrian Safety Review Board. Learn more about the board and its mission to save lives, on the website here.
The Board also approved an amendment to an installment agreement with Dell Financial Services for County-wide MS Windows, Server, & Office Suite Enterprise Software & Licenses.
The Board of Commissioners holds its meetings on the First and Third Tuesday each month. We stream them live on our Facebook page, then post them at MaconBibb.TV.