Local elected officials say many people don't fully understand the details behind the Macon-Bibb merger. In fact, Mayor Robert Reichert says there are things he does not get himself.
They say one big issue surrounding consolidation is education.
You can read the text of the consolidation bill, House Bill 1171, here.
County commissioner Joe Allen says, "They need to contact their elected officials. They need to contact the state. They need to read what the law says, what they have put out for people to vote on."
So Macon city council member Tom Ellington did some research of his own. On Thursday, he took a stance against the super-majority rule that says the county commission would need at least six votes out of nine to pass a budget.
He said, "You could have a minority of the commission, four members, basically making demands in a vote for a budget."
Reichert, who supports consolidation, said Ellington did not have all the facts.
He said, "I think that Mr. Ellington is mistaken when he says it takes six out of nine to pass a budget unless you run afoul of the restriction that is included in the budget, which mandates cost savings of five percent per year over four years."
But Reichert was wrong. In section 26, the law says all budgets "must be approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the commissioners then serving." That's six out of nine commissioners.
By phone, Reichert later admitted that he was wrong, but says the language is not clear and is inconsistent with other parts of the bill.
He says this shows why voters need to brush up on all of the facts before heading to the polls on July 31st.