Information gathered at public hearings on consolidation has the Bibb County legislative delegation considering approving the measure themselves.
State Rep. Allen Peake said people attending the hearings have been telling the lawmakers they want to stop talking about consolidation and go ahead and do it.
A fast and efficient way to do that, Peake said, would be for the eight-member delegation to put together a unification package and implement it themselves without voter participation.
Peake notes the delegation can get consolidation through the General Assembly as local legislation. He also noted that the delegation isn't required to have a public referendum on the issue.
Details of a consolidated government still have to be decided, Peake said. Those items include the size of a unified government and whether the top law enforcement official would be appointed or elected.
If lawmakers move forward with this plan, Peake said the members of a the new consolidated government would most likely be elected in 2014 and take office shortly after that.
Peake said he believes the lawmakers will move the legislation forward soon after the General Assembly convenes in January.
He also believes voters would approve consolidation if the delegation decides to hold a referendum on the matter.
State Rep. Nikki Randall chairs the Bibb legislative delegation. She pointed out that some people attending one of the consolidation hearings suggested that the delegation implement merger without a popular vote.
Randall said the delegation members haven't met as a group since then to discuss the proposal. But she said it'll be on the agenda when the delegation meets Nov. 30 to discuss the upcoming legislative session.
Along with that, Randall said, delegation members have been asked to bring along any legislative proposals they're considering introducing next year.
Mayor Robert Reichert says he'll support any route the delegation takes towards consolidation.
"Your going to have some people who will say... 'this is why we have trust, faith and confidence in our representative form of government, go up there and represent us, do what's in our best interest.' And so when they do that, no, it wouldn't offend me," says Reichert.
If the delegation decides to proceed without a referendum, the mayor said he would still support merging the city and county governments.
But the idea received mixed reviews from members of council.
Council members Lauren Benedict, Rick Hutto, and Lonnie Miley all say they want consolidation, but have varying degrees of concern about approving it without a public vote.
"I do think this is an important issue that impacts our community, says Benedict, "and so letting individuals vote or have a say in that makes sense to me."
She says she'd prefer to have a vote, but would ultimately support the delegation either way.
Hutto disagrees, "I have never wavered in my support of consolidation," says Hutto. "There is almost no deal breaker for me -- except one. The voters have to vote for it. I don't want a shotgun wedding."
Miley also says he won't support consolidation without the final say going to the public.
"We shouldn't be saying 'OK, the voters got sense enough to vote and elect me in, but what it comes to things like that they only have sense for some things and not sense for the others,'" says Miley. "We should trust the voters."
Randall also said the delegation will discuss the issues local officials bring to them during the annual pre-legislative meeting scheduled for Nov. 17 at the Chamber of Commerce.
State Rep. James Beverly said he's aware of the proposal of delegation approval without a vote. But Beverly said his initial reaction is that a proposal as far reaching as consolidation should be decided in public referendum.
But he also pointed out that delegation members have hashed out the concept yet and that he could change his mind after a thorough discussion on best way to proceed.