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Community
•Obttuaries - jtage m
•Todays & Yesterdays - Page 5A
•Peach Parade Page 6B
•Church Page - Page 3B
^Wed nesday, August 13, 1997
Vol. No. 108, Issue 33 2 Sections, 14 pages
Peach
Inside & Out
FVMS Notes
Parents are reminded to make sure your
upcoming six grader has had a second
MMR shot. A copy of this shot record must
be turned in on the first day of school. A stu¬
dent will not be allowed to remain in school
without this update. Orientation for Fort
Valley Middle School will be held Thursday,
August 21 from 6-7 p.m. in the gymnatori
urn.
PCHS SCHEDULES
Students in grades 9-12 may pick up
class schedules at Peach County High
School, TViesday, August 19 from 1:30-3:30
p.m. A homeroom roster will be posted in
the lunchroom lobby. Students should check
roster then proceed to their homeroom to
pick up class schedule.
Commodities
USDA surplus commodities will be given
away August 13 beginning at 9 a.m. at the
Old Hunt School Auditorium. You must
bring your Social Security card or other ver¬
ification of your Social Security number and
proof of your address. If picking up for
someone else, you need to bring a statement
from that individual authorizing you to do
so.
Service board
The Phoenix Center Community Service
Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday,
August 14, at the Phoenix Center in the
Crawford County Office, 278 Wright
Avenue, Roberta. The public is invited. For
further information call 322-4058, Warner
Robins.
PRE-K PROGRAM
Little People Learning Center’s Pre-K
program will begin Monday, August 25.
Open house for enrolled Pre-K students and
parents will be Sunday, August 24, from 4-6
p.m. Other than the first day being on 8/28
instead of 8/22, Little People’s Pre-K pro¬
gram will follow the same school year calen¬
dar as the Peach County School System.
Enrollment for four-year-olds is complete,
but there is a waiting list for prospective
students.
Volunteers needed
HODAC’s Rape Crisis program is seeking
compassionate, responsible people to serve
as volunteer advocates in Peach County. Vol¬
unteer advocates are on call to respond to
Peach Regional Medical Center to support
and assist victims of sexual assault. Hours
are flexible, men and women are welcome.
Must be 18. For application or more infor¬
mation call Sandi Crosby at 953-5675.
Community awareness
A community awareness meeting will be
held Thursday, August 21, from 6-7:30 p.m.
at Usher’s Ifemple CME Church. It is spon¬
sored by HBCU Community Development
Office, FVSU. Information will be provided
about Welfare Reform, Work First, changes
in DFACS, new requirements that stress
employment for participants, new time lim¬
its for DFCS customers, support services
and changes for the community. For infor¬
mation call 825-6128 or 6127.
New authority
The newly created Peach County Water
and Sewerage Authority will meet Friday,
August 29,2 p.m. at the Peach County
Courthouse in Fort Valley.
Byron Bunch
The Byron Bunch Square Dance Club
will hold their annual Reunion Square
Dance Friday, August 22, from 8-11 p.m. at
the Byron United Methodist Church Youth
Center. Former members of the Byron
Bunch, Dixie Peaches and other 4-H Square
Dance Clubs will be guests of honor. For
more information call 825-1973 or 788-1138.
* DE PEACH SPORTS
•Lady Trojans on the Field
•Football Team of Quarter
Century
Seepage IB
Fort Valley. Byron and Peach County’s source for news and sports for over 100 years
lleaiiet:-tribune
Council asked to reconsider
Utilities commission hears “unification” plan cannot be on November ballot
By Vicky Whitehead
The Leader-Tribune
Utilities Commission members vot¬
ed Monday night for a resolution ask¬
ing the Fort Valley City Council to
reconsider the proposed “unification”
referendum.
The request was based on a legal
opinion rendered from the law offices
of Walker, Hulbert, Gray & Byrd, stat¬
ing such a change in the structure of
the city government would require
enactment of a charter amendment by
the General Assembly. The city coun¬
cil approved placing a referendum on
the November ballot combining the
Fort Valley Utility Commission with
the Fort Valley City Council into one
“unified” body.
Attorney Charles Adams explained
the resolution to the commission and
the legal opinion. “Such action is
beyond the legal power of council to
do,” he said adding that the legal
memo was supported by Georgia cas¬
es. Adams also said city council was
apparently unaware what they were
doing was not authorized.
Utilities Commissioner Bob Hunni
cutt made the motion to approve the
resolution which passed 4-0. Mayor
John Ezell abstained from voting. The
resolution states, “Whereas, the Fort
Valley City Council has voted to hold
a referendum on the November
municipal election ballot of the ques¬
tion of ‘Unification’ of the Mayor and
Council and the Fort Valley Utility
Commission into a single body of nine
members; and
Whereas, Georgia law requires
such a proposed change in the city
charter to be enacted by the General
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SPECIAL project - Billy Tripp, center, shows Hal Lowman, left, and
Melody Towns about what is being presented at a a special workshop,
“Internet Basics for Government Users" tonight at Thomas Public
Library. The workshop was presented last night in Byron. This work¬
shop is part of the Open Studio Project, the first national initiative to
help art organizations serve their communities through the internet.
Peach Public Libraries were awarded a grant for the project. More than
250 arts and community organizations and 200 artists contribute to the
project.
'What the people don't know will hurt them...
Assembly subject
to approval by
local voters at a
subsequent refer
endum, and the
city government
has no legal
authority to call
such a referen
dum;
Now therefore, be it resolved that
the Fort Valley Utility Commission
does hereby request the Fort Valley
City Council to reconsider its proposed
action and to comply with all require¬
ments of the law before proceeding
therewith.”
In addition to the resolution, com¬
mission members approved a state¬
ment concerning the issue, 3-0. Mem¬
bers Dollie Horton and John Ezell
abstained.
The statement reads in part, “For
more than a century the Fort Valley
Utility Commission and its prede¬
cessors have constructed, managed,
maintained and expanded the sys¬
tem of public utilities in and around
Fort Valley under the provisions of
the city charter. The Commission
presently furnishes water, electrici¬
ty, natural gas and sanitary sewer
services at competitive rates to
thousands of customers in Peach,
Crawford and Macon Counties. It
has laid hundreds of miles of utility
lines without bonded indebtedness
except for the revenue bonds for the
original natural gas system issued
in 1953 and fully paid from subse¬
quent natural gas sales.
Although a decreasing percentage
of its customers reside within the City
of Fort Valley, the Commission has
Editorials
•Lessons from ordinary things
•Taking things for Granted
•The Peanut Gallery
•Decision needed on building
See Page 4A
<< Tfl€ MdVOr CLTld
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\sOUtlCll CIO flOl rtdVG
® authority J tO Call
a referendum on this
»• yy
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legal opinion from Charles Byrd
sent, the Commission disburses 5 % of
its gross income from utility sales
throughout the system to mayor and
council for their unrestricted use, thus
lowering the property tax millage by a
significant amount. During the cur¬
rent fiscal year, this figure comes to
$652,869”
The adopted statement goes on to
state that the elected members of the
commission are firmly opposed to the
“unification” proposal and feel doing so
would raise utility rates. “We are abso¬
lutely certain that the council will seek
to divert funds from the sale of utilities
into the city treasury instead of utiliz¬
ing them for maintenance, capital
investment and system growth as the
commission has always done. This will
inevitably raise utility rates for all cus¬
tomers for the benefit of the city gener¬
al government, placing an inequitable
burden on customers outside the city
limits, and especially those who
already pay double rates for water and
sewer service.”
The statement ended with, “We
urge every customer of the Fort Valley
Utility Commission to contact the
members of the City Council to
express opposition to the proposed
merger of utility services into the city
general government.”
In the legal opinion from the Perry
Future of Old Byron School
may be resolved this week
By Elizabeth Shy &
Vicky Whitehead
The Leader- Tribune
What to do about the “Old
Byron School” took up much
time at the August meeting of
the Peach County Board of
Education.
Vice Chair Rachel Rumph
conducted the meeting in the
absence of the chairman Mike
Gilstrap.
Several organizations have
requested to use portions of
the building which is still
owned by the board of educa
tion. Dr. Dorothy Conteh,
Director of the Pre-Kinder
garten program at Fort Valley
State University (FVSU),
requested the three classrooms
and kitchen leased to the pro¬
gram last school year, be made
available again on a state
approved lease basis. The
lease would have an option to
renew for four additional
years. She stated playground
equipment needs to be
installed but this approximate¬
ly $30,000 expenditure could
not be justified on a one-year
lease. Conteh said he already
had funding for the equip¬
ment. Sixty children are
enrolled in the Byron program.
Mayor James Williams of
Byron requested all of the
property — building and
grounds - be conveyed to the
City of Byron for use as munic¬
ipal offices. At least 12 of the
classrooms are already utilized
disbursed to the
Mayor and Council
millions of dollars
foruse in theoper
ations of the city
general govern
ment and for spe
c j a j projects and
equipment over
the years. At pre¬
50e Per Copy
law firm, it states, “The proposed
changes to the structure of the Fort
Valley city government will require
the enactment of a charter amend¬
ment by the General Assembly.” Cases
and Georgia Codes are included to
back up the opinion and concludes,
“The Mayor and Council do not have
legal authority to call a referendum on
this question.”
Adams said this does not mean it
cannot be done, just that it first must
be proposed through the legislature. If
it passed, only then could it become a
referendum, he said. That means it
would not be possible for the issue to
be placed on the November ballot this
year.
Wilton Walton presented the com¬
mission with graphs on electricity cost
figures available from the Municipal
Electric Authorities of Georgia
(MEAG). He had presented City
Council with this last month. Walton
said, “Those in the middle of this feel
like we’ve been well served by MEAG.
It is a good relation that exists and
needs to be enhanced rather than tom
down.” Fort Valley has a contract with
MEAG.
“This commission has not avoided
city council,” Commission Chairman
Motea P. Jackson stated. “They have
never approached us. All action has
been one sided. We are interested in
anything City Council has to say.. .We
will listen at any time. We reserve the
right to agree or disagree.”
Jackson went on to say unless the
city has a barrel full of money, they
could not walk away from the con¬
tract with MEAG. The commission
went into executive session to dis¬
cuss personnel issues.
for this purpose.
After lengthy discussion,
recommendations and failed
motions, including declaring
the property as surplus and
advertising it for sale, the mat¬
ter was tabled until August 13.
The board agreed to meet at 5
p.m. on that day and attempt
to resolve the issue, but later
changed the date to August 14
® P m -
Dr. Uonteh , and , ,, Mayor
Williams were requested to
present a proposal for the
school board to convey the
property to the City of Byron,
Byron would then lease the
required space to FVSU. The
vice-chair pointed out time is
of essence as the Pre-K is
scheduled to start August 18
and there is no other space
available in Byron for this
program,
Fire hydrants
being checked
Captain Otis Daniel of
the Fort Valley Fire
Department says the
department is in the pro¬
cess of checking fire
hydrants for pressure.
This is required for an ISO
rating.
Checking the hydrants
may cause citizens to expe¬
rience mud or dirt in the
water. Daniel says if this
happens, let the water run
for a few minutes and it
will clear itself up.