Newspaper Page Text
Local lines
• City of Warner
Robins adds 2 spots
for code enforcement
• Federal job work
shop to be offered
BELOW THE TOLD: County holds public hearing for its budget; HC NAACP mak< trip happen for kids
_ HlklM School Honor Rolls
4 (9&ii Part if
Moashnt Pm plnml
LEGAL ORGAN FOR HOUSTON COUNTY,
CITY OF PERRY, CITY OF WARNER ROBINS AND CITY OF CENTERVILLE
Volume 138, Number 50
sh€
FRONT DOOR
"Always open"
“And God remembered Noah,
and every living thing, and all
the cattle that was with him in
the ark: and God made a wind
to pass over the earth, and the
waters asswaged; The fountains
also of the deep and the win
dows of heaven were stopped,
and the rain from heaven was
restrained;”
- Genesis 1:1-2
FRONT PORCH
"Where neighbors meet"
HHJ history
50 years ago:
Houston County farmers begin
receiving payments for participat
ing in the 1958 Acreage Reserve
Program. Payments - for wheat,
com or cotton - range from
$27,000 to $83,000.
30 years ago:
The opening for the new $2.3
million county complex in Warner
Robins is announced for Aug. 1.
. Also, the Perry Hospital emer
gency room, after a two-month
conflict between city leaders,
the hospital authority and county
commissioners, opens its doors
once again.
10 years ago:
Houston County Probate Court
gets its own computer system.
This reportedly streamlines the
process, as previously the group
had to go through the Sheriff's
Office or the District Attorney’s
Office for information needed.
- Compiled by Don Moncrief
Birthdays
June 20
fti La Wanna Welch -ft
June 21
ft ft Sammy Beckham ft ft
ft Sharon Johnson <ft
ft Jake Hair A
June 22
ft Carl Coleman (Happy
60th!) ft
ft ft Tonisha Shimp ft
ftft Veronica Stanley ft
June 23
ft ft Brittany Capps ft
ft ft John Hair
ft Ciny Maitland (Happy
50th!) ft ft
June 24
iY: Rita Bridges ft
ft ft Ray Thomas, Jr. ft ft
ft ft Chris Thomas ftft
ft' Nasha Hubbard ft
ft Chris Kinnas 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.
Award-Winning
Better Newspaper uMjgjijJ
Contest &
PERIODICAL 500
8isiOFOOOOX" 4
COOI *
Georgia Newspaper Project
Main Library
University of Georgia
ATHENS GA 30602-0002
3-DiGIT 306
June 21,2008
tIiHHBI
Keeping promises
Grandmother, and granddaughter
graduate together. Also, the “boys of
summer” hold reunion, book club set
to begin and much more.
Lifestyle
Impact fee battle continues
"With your votes on these decisions,
you will decide whether you support
the developers here or the citizens
who elected you to represent them.
Which group do you represent?”
- Bob Hubbard
"We shouldn't fee people to death.”
-James Solomon.
i.* • *
i ':sw- . . .
/ * '
--v...,
■**••-*
m m mSm JPI mm 1 mm ' . -
mB tilllll' BJr BS
’J* 1 "
" Ml ' r 1
ffse.-'i.-J-S-Jf . .. - L— _L_ »—i_ : —■:—- ’■.J.ljSix— - -*l.—’ -±:L-v. ■; , V. .v - ,—: ——v ■■■ s'-" 1 '-— ; i:. -
ENI/Gary Harmon
Chase Benz goes over some steps with the Houston County High School dance team during a class he held last week at the school. Film credit’s
for the choreographer!actor include Step Up 2 The Streets and Stomp the Yard.
County holds public hearing for budget
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Managing Editor
The Houston County
Board of Commissioners
held a public hearing for
its Fiscal Year 2009 budget
Tuesday.
The budget, which
received no comment from
the community, is slated to
be acted on June 24 while
going into force July 1.
Among the highlights
is that it is $49,295,977.
That represents a 3.7 per
cent increase over the
2008 amended budget of
$47,520,363.
Increases and health
insurance and pension costs,
according to Commission
Chairman Ned Sanders
- via the handout provided
- account for most of the
increase.
The FY ’O9 capital budget
is $2,051,207. This, accord
ing to the commission, is
32.3 percent less than last
year’s budget of $3,028,550.
The capital budget is used
for construction of build
ings, infrastructure, bridges
Saturday, June 21, 2008
and the like.
And speaking of bridg
es, getting sidetracked for
a second, the commission
approved unanimously to
replace the Okeetuck Creek
Bridge on Elko Rd. The con
tract cost is $264,890, and
this is the second bridge the
group has voted to replace
in its past two meetings.
The last meeting its mem
bers voted to replace the
Flat Creek Bridge - both
SPLOST projects - for
approximately the same
amount (same company and
same prefabricated type,
said Commissioner Larry
Thomson).
Getting back to the bud
get, it does not contain any
new positions or reclassifi
cations of positions.
“Because of the type
budget*” Sanders said,
explaining why, “and the
constraints that it presents
us with. And the priorities
and the rationing essen
tially that we have to do,
we were in a position of
cutting requested expenses
Learning fundamentals
BASEBALL: Photos from Perry High School’s
baseball camp. GOLF: Fears falls just short
in Georgia tourney. OTHER: Dodge Directors
Cup final standings. More.
Sports
By CHARLOTTE
PERKINS
Journal Staff Writer
At Tuesday night’s meet
ing of the City Council, the
“red shirts” were out in
force again, arguing one last
time against impact fees for
new construction.
Support for the city’s pro
posed ordinance was also
expressed, but in sheer num
bers the opponents were
clearly in the majority.
Speaking in opposition
Cut to the Chase
by some $4 million. That’s
something we had to cor
rect. A deduction we had to
make.”
In addition, $150,000 is
earmarked for improve
ments to White Rd., and
SIO,OOO is budgeted for
additional landscaping along
Houston Lake Rd.
Also, $260,000 in roads
and bridges equipment is
scheduled for replacement,
$327,000 is earmarked for
drainage improvements in
unincorporated areas of the
county and 14 new sheriff’s
vehicles are slated for pur
chase. The cost for them is
listed as $303,500.
Six of those, according to
the budget handout, will go
to the Patrol Division, three
will go to Investigations,
the Warrants and Juvenile
Division will receive two
and the final one will be
assigned to the Detention
Center.
Replacement vehicles,
according to the hand
out, Eire, also budgeted
See BUDGET, page ioA
were: Tim Supple, Sandy
Davis, Ferrell Kitchens,
James Solomon, Scott
Vote on Impact fens could be Thursday
The Perry City Council is likely to make its decisive
vote on impact fees on Thursday, rather than on July
1, as planned earlier. The change of date was discussed
in the work session prior to Tuesday’s meeting and is
being made because some council members could not be
present to vote on July 1.
See VOTE, page yA
HC NAACP makes Atlanta trip
possible for group ot youngsters
By DON MONCRIEF
Journal Managing Editor
Gas prices have not
deterred one group from
hitting the road today.
Mainly because the “big
picture” is considered that
much more important by
Houston County NAACP
President Larry Holmes
and many others from the
organization, as well as
Groups to hold training sessions
Special to the Journal
The Perry Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and
the Perry Downtown Development Association, according
to a release, is working with the Georgia Department of
Economic Development’s Tourism Foundation on the busi
ness development series of the state’s Creative Economies
Initiative.
According to the release, the Creative Economies
Initiative, a national model, provides a structured, custom
ized economic development program for arts centric busi
nesses promoting Georgia Made Georgia Grown Products.
See SESSIONS, page ioA
www.hhjnews.com
Free, Tim Thornton, Billy
Schwanebeck, Amy Wilkes,
See IMPACT, pageyA
parents.
The organization will be
taking 80-something chil
dren to Atlanta. In fact
they left early this morn
ing, some via a charter
bus leaving Warner Robins
Christian Methodist
Episcopal Church in
Warner Robins and others
leaving via a charter bus
departing from Creekwood
See TRIP, page yA