How to Speak at a Macon-Bibb Commission Meeting

You have something to tell the people who run Macon-Bibb — about a road, a rezoning, a budget line, anything. The Commission has to hear from the public, and getting up to speak is more straightforward than most people think. Here's the whole path.

First, know which meeting to go to

The Commission is the elected lawmaking side of county government. (If that split is new to you, start with what county government actually does.) It meets in two different settings, and the difference matters:

• Regular meetings are where the Commission takes its formal votes. They run the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 6:00 p.m., in the Commission Chambers at the Government Center, 700 Poplar Street.
• The Committee of the Whole meets the 2nd Tuesday at 9:00 a.m., in the same room. This is where all nine commissioners work through items before any final vote. If you want to change an outcome, this is often the meeting that matters more: the decision usually takes shape here, then gets confirmed at the regular meeting.

Meeting dates shift around holidays. PeachTracker keeps the schedule, agendas, and votes on Commission, and the county posts the meetings themselves on its Meeting Broadcasts page.

Get your name on the list

You don't just walk up to the microphone. You ask ahead of time. Two ways:

• Fill out the county's Request to Address the Commission form online.
• Or email your issue to commission@maconbibb.us.

Either one tells the clerk you want to speak and what about. Do it a few days out if you can, and read the agenda first (on Commission or the county's CivicClerk portal) so you can say whether your comment is about a specific agenda item or a general concern — those are taken at different points in the meeting.

Can't make it to the chamber in person? That same email, commission@maconbibb.us, lets you put your concern on the record in writing, so it reaches all nine commissioners even if you can't be there at 6 p.m. on a Tuesday.

What happens when it's your turn

A few rules keep the meeting orderly:

• You have to be recognized by whoever is chairing — the mayor is the commission's presiding officer — before you speak.
• You speak to the chair, not to individual commissioners or staff. You're addressing the body, not arguing with one person.
• Phones on silent, and let others have the floor while they have it.

Say who you are, and if it helps, which district you live in. Then be specific. "The drainage on my block of Napier Street floods every hard rain" lands harder than "the county needs to fix drainage." If you have a fix in mind, name it.

Make it actually count

Showing up is the lever. A little prep makes it pull more weight.

• Bring your commissioner in first. Each district has one, and yours is your most direct line. Look them up on Districts and call or email before the meeting. A commissioner who already knows your issue can raise it from the dais.
• Watch a meeting before you speak at one. The county keeps past meetings on its Meeting Broadcasts page. A few minutes of one shows you the rhythm and where public comment falls, so nothing catches you off guard.
• Follow the item, not just the meeting. If your issue is heading for a vote, the Committee of the Whole two weeks earlier is where you want to be heard, while the decision is still open.

Where to go next

• Commission — agendas, the meeting schedule, and how every commissioner voted.
• Districts — find your commissioner and their contact info.
• Meeting Broadcasts — the county's video of commission meetings, current and previous.
• Not sure the Commission is even the right body for your issue? Ask Mulberry. Some problems belong to a separate agency, and it will tell you which.

Macon-Bibb County Commission (maconbibb.us) — the Commission meets in Commission Chambers at 700 Poplar Street at 6:00 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month, and the Committee of the Whole meets the 2nd Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. in the same location; agendas and minutes are posted through the county's CivicClerk portal.

Address the Commission (maconbibb.us) — residents ask to speak by submitting the online Request to Address the Commission form or by emailing commission@maconbibb.us.

Macon-Bibb County Charter, Section 9 — the mayor is the presiding officer of the commission.

[Macon-Bibb County Code § 2-37 — commission rules of procedure] — meeting conduct: a speaker is recognized by the presiding officer, comments are directed to the chair rather than to individual commissioners or staff, and devices are silenced while business is conducted.

Last reviewed July 2026. Meeting times can change around holidays — confirm the next date on the live agenda before you go.