Milledgeville City Council hosted its last meeting of the year Dec. 9, listening to an annual review and closing comments from council members who are leaving.
Visit Milledgeville Executive Director Rebekah Snider gave the annual review on the organization. Since the 1980s, Visit Milledgeville has served as Milledgeville’s destination marketing organization. It has a contract with the city to spend the legal allocation, as determined by state legislators for hotel/motel tax funds, for the marketing and promotion of Milledgeville as a tourism destination.
In 2025, tourism generated $86.5 million in Baldwin County, supporting 904 jobs with a payroll of $21 million. Snider predicted a path of more growth over three to five years.
“Looking at our occupancy tax revenue trend, we have had phenomenal success over the last seven years,” said Snider. “I’m proud to report we are stronger and more successful than ever before. This year we are also on a forward path.”
Snider highlighted the “Top 10 Moments of the Year” in her presentation. Highlights included the “Milledgeville: A Perfect Hallmark Town” feature in the Small Town Setup TV series, celebrating the first conference collaboration to host the Georgia Association of Museums (estimated $52,000 economic impact), multiple media spotlights and showcases, partnering with three social collaborators (receiving 80,000 views overall), a leisure advertising campaign, creating a free wedding guide and participating in a wedding trade show circuit, hiring a consultant to better promote sports venues and tourism, Georgia Military College’s new Hospitality and Tourism Management program, and Milledgeville’s new “Full in Color” accessibility initiative.
“In 2025, we welcomed more than 10,000 visitors for sports events in the areas of fishing, baseball, cycling, cross-country, track, and other athletic competitions. This included statewide, regional, and national events,” said Snider.
Moving into new business, the city conducted the first reading of three ordinances to be referred to the Planning and Zoning Commission: An ordinance to amend the charter to accept approximately 32.173 acres of land into the corporate limits of the City of Milledgeville with a zoning of Heavy Industrial. The property is located at 76 W. Hwy 22 and is presently owned by Daniel H. Kelly.
An ordinance amending the Land Development Code to allow for special use for a used car sales lot at 195 Roberson Mill Rd. This property is currently owned by Erik J. Walter and Carla A. Walter (Family Revocable Trust) and is zoned Community Commercial. An ordinance amending the Land Development Code to allow for rezoning of property located at 261 Mobley Rd. to allow for an automotive repair shop and embroidery business. The property is owned by Lisabeth Martin (Allismar LLC) and she wishes to have property rezoned from Office Institutional to Community Commercial.
The city council then unanimously authorized a lighting services agreement with Georgia Power Company to upgrade 22 existing roadway lights to LED roadway lights on Industrial Park Drive and approved the fourth batch of alcohol license renewals for the calendar year 2026 alcohol license applications.
The meeting concluded with the appointment of Chelsey Brantley to the Library Board and the reappointments of former Baldwin County Superintendent Dr. Noris Price to the Convention & Visitors Bureau Board, Gregory Barnes to the Development Authority Board, and Randy Clark to the Milledgeville Housing Authority Board.
Closing the meeting, District 2 council member Jeanette Walden, District 4 council member Walter Reynolds (12 years of service), and District 6 council member Steve Chambers (25 years of service) said their goodbyes and thanks to the public as leaders of the city council.
Walden is one of the longest serving city council members with 28 years of service and is officially retiring.
Reynolds stated this will not be his “final curtain” and is “excited” for the next chapter.
Chambers stated he feels a “feeling of release” but that he will miss the camaraderie of the council upon his retirement. He also stressed to the board to complete the water and sewage treatment plan, consider a new police department building, and complete a roundabout at Dunlap and Jefferson Roads in the new year.
“Thank you for the trust, the laughs, and the opportunity of serving this wonderful city,” said Walden. “Milledgeville has always had a special place in my heart and it always will.”