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CAUTION Macon wants citizen on roads technical panel By Christopher Schwarzen The city-county roads program's oversight committee voted Thursday to forward a citizen's request directly to the Bibb County Commission. It was the committee's first action since January; earlier meetings have lacked a quorum. CAUTION Macon member Lee Martin asked members to recommend a "qualified citizen" be added to the roads program's technical advisory committee. "(The Georgia Department of Transportation) position is open for the moment," Martin said. "Instead of putting his replacement on the committee, I think it would do good for public support to add a qualified citizen to the TAC." The technical committee is part of the Macon-Bibb County Road Improvement Program and votes on project designs before sending them to the executive committee for final approval. The oversight committee is charged with making sure the program follows the agenda approved by citizens in a November 1994 referendum. The County Commission, which created the three committees when it contracted with Moreland Altobelli to run the roads program, can change the committees' membership. "I think DOT should be present, but I don't think they should have a vote," Martin said. "Many of our highways have become neighborhood roads because of development, yet they're still treated like highways." The oversight committee voted to send the request directly to the commission, not make a formal recommendation. Three members supported member Tom Wight's motion; the remaining members abstained. "I think it's up to the commission to address this issue, since they are responsible for the committee members," Wight said. "If they want our recommendation, then we should do that then." Wight said after the meeting that the request may have some merit. "But how the commission goes about changing any committee exactly, I don't know," he said. The oversight committee has come under fire in the past year for not being an active part of the road program, especially from members of CAUTION Macon - a group that has questioned the necessity of some city-county roads program projects. Martin said Thursday he wanted to give the oversight committee the first chance at the request as a sign of starting over again with the citizens.
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