Government officials of the newly consolidated Macon-Bibb County were officially sworn in Tuesday morning.

Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert and eight of the nine county commissioners took the oath of office before a standing room only crowd at Macon City Hall. During the ceremony Reichert acknowledged the historic moment. "On the day when the whole world celebrates the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one, with the opportunity for a fresh start and a new beginning, we gather to officially begin a new era in Macon Bibb County, now the fourth largest city in Georgia."

Reichert also said that there is now a renewed spirit of determination among Macon Bibb County officials to regain a position of prominence in middle Georgia and the state of Georgia.

Voters approved government consolidation in July 2012. The government officially begins January 1, 2014.

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