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Volume 138, Number 46
The
FRONT DOOR
"Always open"
“For God hath not given us the
spirit of fear; but of power, and of
love, and of a sound mind.”
- 2 Timothy 1:7
FRONT PORCH
"Where neighbors meet"
HHJ history
50 years ago:
The Georgia State Employment
Service sends out a request to
Houston County farmers - with
a pledge to help - asking if they
will need help in recruiting cot
ton pickers during the growing
season.
30 years ago:
Perry Mayor James McKinley
asks the County Commission
to hire a clean community com
mission coordinator for the City
of Perry under the provisions of
CETA Title 11. The commission
ers like the idea so much, they
hire one - but not just for Perry.
They expand the area of cover
age to include all of Houston
County.
10 years ago:
The City of Perry presents its
budget plans for the year. They
call for one slightly more than
sll million and with a pledge to
try and keep the millage rate at
14.54.
- Compiled by Don Moncrief
Birthdays
June 8
ft Alice Morris 'ft
June 7
ft Kaleb Kushinka (Happy
8th!)
Bertha Hill ft
ft Barbara Jernigan ft
June 8
ft Joe Lima -ft
June 8
ft Stacy Minter ft
ft Andrew Johnson ft
June 10
ft Don Dimsdale ft
E-mail birthdays to:
hhj@evansnewspapers.com or
donm@evansnewspapers.com.
Mail to: 1210 Washington St.,
Perry 31069 attn: Don Moncrief.
Or, call 987-1823, Ext. 231.
Anniversaries
June 7
Helen and Roger Harrold (55
years)
Delores and Alfred
Anderson
June 8
Sheila and Wayne Harris (35
years)
Award-Winning
Newspaper
Better Newspaper
Contest
PERIODICAL 50£
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Georgia ttewspa iper Prcjesi
Man Library
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ATHENS GA 30632-3002
SOGJT 306
June 7,2008
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'Who' wants to see a free movie?
Dr Seuss' Horton Hears a Who, today in downtown Perry (on the old courthouse lawn); pre-movie at 7 p.m„ main one at 8 p.m.
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
iffrYjDE j§RRY, CITY OF WARNER ROBINS AND CITY OF CENTERVILLE
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Siren system support a cloudy picture
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Managing Editor
It’s about as predictable as
the weather.
That’s the initial forecast
as to whether or not the
whole of Houston County
will have a hazardous weath
er emergency notification
system?
Vision 2020, after hearing
a detailed presentation from
Houston County Emergency
Management Director
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Journal/Charlotte Perkins
About 20 people wearing red shirts showed up at the Perry City Council meeting Tuesday to protest the proposal
the city is considering for impact fees on new building in the growth area outside of the Perry Parkway.
Perry holds first hearing on impact fees
Next meeting to be June 17; vote to be July 1
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
The first official public
hearing on Perry’s impact
fee ordinance took place
on Tuesday night, and it
was easy to spot those who
were in opposition, because
they mostly showed up
wearing red shirts.
This was one of two pub
lic hearings that will be
held. The next one will be
at the council meeting on
Local lines
• Two charged in drug bust
• Leadership WR to host "Big Give"
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Jimmy Williams - the
Warner Robins City Council
heard basically the same
briefing from Warner Robins
Fire Chief Robert Singletary
during its pre-council.meet
ing Monday - is/was poised
to recommend purchasing
26 tope (six various tones
from “wail” to “whoop”)
messaging systems (with an
estimated 95 percent cover
age range). Those include a
follow-up voice message fol
June 17. The vote by the
council will take place on
July 1 at a 5 p.m. meet
ing.
While the decision has
a definite impact on ordi
nary taxpayers within the
older part of the city, there
was little representation
from those citizens.
Basically, the city’s pro
posal would impose one
time impact fees of under
SI,OOO on new homes in
the growth area now being
Civitans provide safe swings for
disabled children. Much more.
lowing the siren.
As a supplement to that,
Vision 2020 is/was also going
to recommend purchasing
a Crisis Communication
System (a phone alert sys
tem). The first of those two
- the sirens - is priced right
at sl/6 million. The second
comes in at $251,600 “each
year.”
However, first things first,
Vision 2020 also wanted/
needed to find out if the var
annexed into the city,
which will help pay for
part of the cost of building
a new fire station and a
new park in that area.
The fees would be paid
along with building permit
fees and presumably would
be passed on to the owner
at the time of sale of the
property. Among the ratio
nales for impact fees are
that the proximity of a fire
station would lower fire
insurance rates for home
ious cities - Warner Robins,
Perry, Centerville - and the
county would literally buy
into such a venture.
So they sent out a proposed
resolution with perhaps the
most important line in it
being the last: “And, be it
further resolved that (insert
Warner Robins City Council,
Perry, et cetera) supports
working with the other
jurisdictions in Houston
County to share the costs of
and business owners in
the area being impacted,
and that the plan would
reduce the tax burden
on those already owning
property in the part of
the city that is within the
Perry Parkway - that is,
that those who are creat
ing the new growth would
pay part of the cost for
the infrastructure neces
sitated by their becoming
part of the city.
The accumulated impact
fees, if the proposal is
passed, would cover half
See HEARING, page SA
Crossroads baseball tournament;
Perry football camp. Much more.
www.hhjnews.cbm
purchasing and maintaining
a hazardous weather emer
gency notification system to
protect the lives of Houston
County residents.”
The answer from the
county Tuesday during the
county commission meeting:
Yes, as per a unanimous vote
in favor.
From there it gets a bit
cloudy - as to whether there
is or is not support.
See SUPPORT, page 8A
Centerville
unveils its
'O9 budget
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Managing Editor
The City of Centerville gave
a “first look” of its 2009 budget
to council members and those
in attendance at its meeting
Tuesday.
Expenses in the budget total
$7,451,104, while revenue
comes out to $6,850,315.
“It is balanced,” said City
Administrator Patrick Eidson
- it actually takes that a step
further and ends up with a
surplus - based on several
things. The first is “actual”
(at first he said “anticipated”
but then changed that) pro
ceeds from the Century Oaks
sewer project. “Seven-hundred
and eighty-eight thousand,
nine-hundred and fourteen
dollars,” he said, in regard to
the amount. “We’re also going
to use a prior year fund bal
ance of $145,988. And also we
will have a contingency fund in
line items in both the general
fund and the water and sewer
fund.”
The general fund, he said,
was $111,769 and water and
sewer were $222,344.
“The city will be anticipating
a fund balance, an unallocated
fund balance of $1.5 million at
the end of the fiscal year,” he
said, adding that the budget
had been prepared using the
city’s current millage rate of
10.698 (signaling no increase
or decrease). “This is our
rainy day fund. This is when
the tornado comes and hits
city hall or police department
fund and we’ve got to replace
See BUDGET, page yA
WR set to sell
propane plant
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Managing Editor
For Sale. One never used - “or
as far as I know it hasn’t been,”
said Warner Robins Mayor
Donald Walker - Peak Shaving
Propane Gas Plant Equipment
and Liquid Propane.
What is the city doing with a
plant of this genre, and specifi
cally one never used?
Well, explained Walker
prior to the city council vot
ing Monday during its regular
meeting to declare the plant
surplus and put it up for the
highest bid, it turned out the
city had another one. But, one
day an employee went off to
See PLANT, page SA