New Tools for Communicating About Macon-Bibb Consolidation

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) - There's two people who are working to make sure that as Macon and Bibb County consolidate communication doesn't get lost in the merge.

There's a team behind the team who's working to merge Macon and Bibb County goverments.

Kevin Barrere is the Bibb County Public Information Officer. He wants you to have the inside scoop on what goes on when the consolidation transition task force and its committees meet.

"We can help support that by making sure the message gets out to the public in an unfiltered, unbiased, no spin kind of way," says Barrere.

How does this happen? Well in comes the City of Macon Director of Public Affairs, Chris Floore.

"If we rely on other people to tell our story then it may never get told," says Floore.

So the two created a new website called Macon-Bibb TV. That's where all the meetings of the task force and committees are streamed live and available for viewing later.

"We can't let any opportunity pass us by to let people know how we're building a new government that will better serve them," says Floore.

Macon-Bibb TV isn't the only online resource the communication guru's are using. There's a Twitter and Facebook page plus an entire communications plan that includes creating a committee where you can aim your questions, concerns, and of course suggestions.

"Tell us what they want, what they want to see, and how they want us to communicate... This is a big deal. It's a historic thing," says Barrere.

Barrere and Floore say they're also getting ready to send out paper and electronic surveys to residents, in hopes of getting more input from the community.