Macon-Bibb Consolidation Considers Hiring Third Party Consultants

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Macon-Bibb County Consolidation Task Force met for the second time to listen to committee members and discuss hiring third party consultants.

At Wednesdays meeting, city and county department heads presented a list of what they would need in order to merge their departments smoothly. Majority of those requests included hiring outside sources with experience in consolidating city and county governments. State Representative and task force chair Nikki Randall doesn’t seem opposed to the idea.

“We want to consult those working in different areas so that they can guide us,” said Randall.

But the task force as a whole, doesn’t want to fully depend on third parties. The group still wants to determine what the government looks like and how it will function.

“We’ve got a blank canvas. Now we just have to fill it with the best ideas and best practices out there,” Randall said.

The consolidation charter calls for both the city and county to cover the costs of any consultants or third parties.

“We are getting the transition task force committee to formulate a budget for us,” Macon Mayor Robert Reichert said.

The suggested services include financial advisors, insurance consultants, auditors and pension attorneys. Mayor Reichert emphasized that pension is time sensitive and suggested all city and county employees move on the same insurance provider. But before these decisions are made, he wants to hear from more “boots on the ground”.

“It obviously involves the department heads who are the very ones who have been doing this job in the street,” Reichert.

The groups will now meet in individual committee meetings before presenting proposals to the task force for consideration. No word on which services the group is considering or how much it will cost. The task force does want these decisions to be transparent. At the end of the session, the members agreed to work towards getting the meetings aired online.