WARNER ROBINS, GA (AP) -
Three Georgia counties will split $12.4 million in buyout costs to purchase homes the military says are too close to Robins Air Force Base.
The Telegraph of Macon reports commission chairmen of Bibb, Houston and Peach counties signed a cost-sharing agreement Friday. With help from the state and federal governments, they are buying up 250 parcels of residential property north of the base near Macon, in an area considered at too great a risk for plane crashes and too noisy.
Local officials fear allowing the homes to stay occupied could make Robins a target in the next round of military base closures.
The deal calls for Bibb and Houston counties to put up $6 million apiece, with Peach County chipping in $400,000.
Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
