Macon-Bibb County approves FY2025 budget

FY 2025 budget includes fourth consecutive property tax reduction

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Macon-Bibb County Commission approved the Fiscal Year 2025 budget on Tuesday.

The budget, which covers the period from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, was initially presented by Mayor Lester Miller in May. A public hearing was held earlier in June, according to a Macon-Bibb County news release.

The approved budget proposes a reduction in the millage rate to 9.9 mills. “This is the fourth consecutive property tax reduction, going down from 20.331 when the Mayor took office,” the release stated. The official vote on the millage rate is scheduled for August.

The budget also includes pay increases for county employees, with some already receiving raises and others set to see increases beginning in July.

“Macon-Bibb County is working together, and we continue to climb,” Mayor Lester Miller said. “You see that in this budget, the fruits of our labor.”

The county says its budget has grown from $174 million in 2022 to $211.6 million this year, all while maintaining a tax reduction.

“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, continue to support public safety, while having some of the best infrastructure we have in place, and at the same time be able to decrease our tax rate by 52%,” Miller said.

Over the past four years, funding for public safety has 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,” Miller said. “While I may be presenting this budget, we couldn’t do it without our great folks in the Budget and Finance Departments.”