Warner Robins Mayor LaRhonda Patrick aiming to excel in 2026

WARNER ROBINS — The year 2025 has now come to an end and now it’s time for a recap of how the year went for the City of Warner Robins. Mayor LaRhonda Patrick reflected on the city’s accomplishments and challenges last year and looks ahead to 2026. 

Accomplishments

In 2025, the city had multiple accomplishments that Patrick is proud of. She named several, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 

Earlier last year, a fellow Vietnam veteran donated five acres to the city to help start the project and the city also approved a contract for design work to begin. 

The city also opened its Haven Hope House shelter in October 2025, an accomplishment Patrick mentioned garnered attention from the community. She said it currently serves as a warming shelter and as a hub for the community to support those who are less fortunate. 

“The community [was] very supportive of this initiative from day one and they have come in helping with this initiative for homelessness in our community. I’d say that’s the biggest accomplishment, providing a space for the unhoused,” she said. 

Moving on to economic development, the city has welcomed new companies, such as Emory Healthcare, and new missions at Robins Air Force Base. Patrick said this supports new growth in the city. 

Patrick said the city has also been successful in attracting interest in Robins International Industrial Park. 

The industrial park welcomed new industry partners last year. One was Kihomac, an aerospace manufacturing and engineering facility. Its groundbreaking ceremony was in November. 

Pratt Industries also opened its new fruit and vegetable container division in December 2025. 

In community development, the city was named a Plan First community by the Department of Community Affairs. 

Patrick also mentioned their city-led townhome development, which was made possible by a $1 million CHIP grant from the DCA and broke ground in September 2025.

The townhomes on Airmen Boulevard will have eight units and Patrick said they are almost complete. She said the homes will boost affordable home ownership. 

Another accomplishment noted was the release in March of renderings for the ongoing Commercial Circle redevelopment. 

In March, the city invested in innovation. Patrick mentioned the ribbon-cutting for a city-owned STEM lab, Innolab, located at the North Houston Sports Complex. The lab is a collaboration with Ed Farm and Apple, the first community-based lab Ed Farm has partnered with. 

Another notable accomplishment Patrick mentioned was the city receiving the International Smart City Award for the second year in a row, among only four U.S. cities and 21 worldwide. The award was given based on the city’s digital twin technology and platform. 

“Those are some of the big wins for calendar year 2025,” she said. 

Challenges

With accomplishments also come challenges to overcome. Patrick said the two biggest challenges the city faced this past year were not new issues. 

One of those challenges is blight, which is prominent in the oldest parts of the city, particularly the north side. Patrick said it has occurred in the area because it has experienced the least growth. She also mentioned that there are many old structures in the area. 

However, the city aims to address the issue through code enforcement. Patrick explained that the code enforcement division was moved under the police department, and they have already seen a huge impact. 

Patrick also shared that they have started the process of having a blight board, which will hear code enforcement issues. She hopes this will help resolve concerns more quickly. 

The city has begun identifying structures eligible for the blight tax. This will encourage owners to either fix their property or face a fine. The owners will also have the option to sell their property to someone who “cares about their community,” Patrick said. 

Another challenge in the city, and countywide, is domestic violence. According to Patrick, last year the county had 17 homicides, and a majority were domestic violence-related. 

She shared that public safety is aiming to address domestic violence in the area. Houston County Sheriff Matt Moulton is leading a campaign, along with Macon Regional Crimestoppers and local law enforcement, to raise awareness.

“We work as a great partner and a great teammate of this larger initiative,” she said. 

Patrick said the city supports the effort and will ensure the Warner Robins Police Department helps spread the word. 

Improvements for 2026

Looking ahead to 2026, the city is ready to start improvements, including public transportation. 

Patrick said they are starting to plan an option similar to an on-demand shuttle service. 

The second improvement is addressing zoning for liquor stores, vape stores, and CBD stores. The city currently has a moratorium in place on those stores to help implement better practices to address them and avoid oversaturation, Patrick said. 

Patrick said the city also wants to continue improving its smart growth approach. 

New Year’s resolutions

Patrick’s New Year’s resolution is to think of a phrase for the city to adopt and implement in 2026. Last year, their slogan was “Take Flight,” in reference to new rebranding. 

This year, Patrick is thinking of “Excellence in Service,” with the goal of having every department improve its services. 

“I want everyone to say, ‘Customer service at the City of Warner Robins is superb,’ by whoever they come in contact with,” she said. 

Patrick’s personal accomplishments include being selected for Leadership Georgia’s Class of 2026; according to the city’s social media, only 63 leaders statewide were selected. She also said she made the Georgia Trends 40 Most Notable Georgians list. 

Patrick said her personal New Year’s resolution is to create space for herself, especially as she enters her second term. She said she wants to make more time for herself, her son and her family. 

Patrick also wants to continue working on passion projects that benefit the city. 

“I’m just blessed to have a second term in office. I really look forward to the great things that we’re already working on from the city government side, and [to] continue to listen to the community and hear all the great places our citizens want to see our city go,” she said.