Macon-Bibb County Board of Commissioners Regular Meeting - November 3, 2026

On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, at approximately 6:00 p.m., the Macon-Bibb County Board of Commissioners held its regular meeting. The meeting opened with an invocation by Stephen Scarborough of Hope of Heart of Georgia and the Pledge of Allegiance. No written agenda or minutes were provided; this summary is based solely on the meeting transcript.

Consent Calendar

• The Board unanimously approved the minutes of the October 20, 2026 meeting.
• The Board unanimously approved the consent agenda as published and previously considered in the pre-commission session, covering items A through R.
• Item S, involving Larry Smallwood, was reserved for a separate vote and was not included in the consent agenda vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Cam Otter, the only speaker signed up for agenda items, addressed agenda item L. He expressed appreciation for a $500,000 grant from the Federal Highway Administration's fiscal year 2023 program for sustainable urban development in the historic Pleasant Hill neighborhood in Macon, which he understood had been approved in the consent portion of the meeting.
• Otter commended the grant's success but voiced concern about the bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA), U.S. Senate Bill 5653. He said the bill is over 400 pages and could come up for a full Senate vote as soon as Monday, November 9, 2026.
• He acknowledged that the bill includes regulatory changes related to energy, project permitting, and health affordability that could have positive effects, but stated that it would limit the scope of the 1966 National Historic Preservation Act, restrict which projects trigger review, and limit public, local/state government, and judicial review.
• Citing the Congressional Research Service, Otter noted significant difficulties with the definition of historic properties, uncertain legal timelines, vague causal relationships, and potential problems with Section 106 reviews and audits of state and tribal programs. He described local consultation as the “backbone” of the National Historic Preservation Act.
• Otter reported that the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation used three examples in an informational session: Pleasant Hill in Macon/Bibb County, Avondale Burial Ground in Bibb County, and New Echota in Calhoun County. He stressed that two of the three examples originated in Macon-Bibb.
• Otter asked commissioners to personally contact senators about Senate Bill 5653. He also mentioned a public information session in Macon within two weeks and a session scheduled by Scott Keefe, a senior archaeologist with Southern Research, for November 6.

Discussion Items

• The Mayor and commissioners acknowledged Otter's testimony. The Mayor said commissioners had noted the information and would follow up with their own congressman and senators to see if anything could be done before the bill reaches the House.
• No further substantive board deliberation was captured in the available transcript.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous approval of the minutes from the October 20, 2026 regular meeting.
• Unanimous approval of consent agenda items A through R.
• Item S (Larry Smallwood) was set aside for a separate vote; no vote on Item S was recorded in the transcript.
• The commission indicated it would follow up with federal representatives regarding Senate Bill 5653.