For several months the Public Works Department of the City of Macon has been hard at work to improve the efficiency and service of its solid waste collection routes. In coordination with the Regional Commission, the City of Macon has used route optimization software to reconfigure the routes to save on time and gasoline consumption. Now all the routes will service equal numbers of homes, based on industry best practices and standards.

A group of ten Belgium Firefighters visited the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department for one week during the Cherry Blossom Festival 2010.The group is part of the Belgium Fire Observers Organization members that visit major fire departments throughout the United States several times each year.The non-profit organization is headed up by Chief Paul Vanlook and offers any Firefighter in Belgium the opportunity to make one of the sponsored trips each year on a lottery type selection basis.Each member must pay their own way however, the advantage of group rates always helps defray the costs associated with the trips.