MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb County commissioners voted 6-2 to pay full-time county employees $500 and part-time employees $250 who are vaccinated or chose to get vaccinated Tuesday evening. Commissioners Valerie Wynn and Al Tillman voted against.
This includes employees who are already fully vaccinated. Mayor Miller says county employees can expect to have that extra money in their paycheck “in the next few weeks.”
Mayor Miller says he’s proposing this in hopes of saving some money for the county. Miller says the pandemic cost Macon-Bibb County $5.2 million, with $2 million of that being solely healthcare costs.
The breakdown:
- $2.04 million- Healthcare
- $2.54 million- Telework
- $57,129 - Annual and sick leave (includes cost of employees taking care of sick family members)
- $347,000 - PPE for the public
- $214,420- Supplies, preventative measures, and cleaning
Total: $5.2 million
District 1 Commissioner Valerie Wynn says she is against the incentive. “This money isn’t going to change their mind.”
“We are in an emergency,” said District 3 Commissioner Elaine Lucas, explaining why she will vote in favor of the incentive. “If I could vote a bunch of times for this, I would.”