In an ongoing effort to improve the efficiency of the consolidated government and make accessing services easier for the public and businesses, the Bibb County Tax Commissioner’s Office is in the process of assuming responsibility for alcohol, business, and privilege licenses, both the initial requests and renewals. The Tax Commissioner’s Office will assume the Alcohol License process on October 1, 2020, and then handle the business and privilege license processes beginning January 1, 2021.

“In the past several years, we have streamlined our processes and made things easier for people by moving into a new, more user-friendly building and implementing state-of-the-art software, both in the building and online,” says Tax Commissioner S. Wade McCord. “Through discussions with the Macon-Bibb County Commissioners and administration, we realized we could bring those same efficiencies, including online applications and renewals, to other processes in our government and help out our business community.”

The Office is building a new database of businesses for its system, and in the first week of October, a letter will be sent to all businesses recently holding an alcohol license to explain the new process. This will also allow them to begin building a new database of licenses and comparing it against the previous business database to ensure accuracy, identify any gaps that need addressing, and identifying additional ways to improve the process.

“If we can use the old database to determine which businesses listed are planning to renew, don’t plan to renew, or no longer have a current alcohol license, we’ll have a much better place from which to start when the renewal process begins,” adds McCord. “This way, businesses will know ahead of time how to renew if they plan to do so, and the entire process will be less cumbersome and more efficient for our amazing staff here in the Office.”

For the alcohol licensing process, which begins on October 1, businesses are encouraged to use the online or mail-in processes in support of the Office’s efforts to protect staff and the business community during the COVID-19 pandemic and help slow its spread. The online application and renewal process will be available online at www.maconbibbtax.us under the “Alcohol Licensing” tab on the left side of the screen. That link will guide a business through the process using questions and providing a chance to upload required supporting documents.

To mail in the application and supporting documents, download the appropriate information from the website under “Printable Applications for Mail-In Submission.” Once completed, they and the appropriate fees can be mailed to  188 Third Street, Macon, GA, 31201.