Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 102 NO. 18
ACTION LINE
El 967*1813 trlCl-
Write P.O. Drawer M
Perry, Georgia, 31069
I’m tired of finding my post office box crammed
full of advertising circulars nearly every day. Is
there any way I can get the post office to stop
putting them in there? I don’t want them and just
throw them in the trash.
N.M., Perry
Perry Postmaster Lawrence Hunt said that he
has heard that same question numerous times,
and all he can do is give the same answer. The
people who send out the circulars have paid
postage on them, and since they have the correct
post office box number or home address on them,
it is the duty of the post office to see that they are
delivered properly. You’ll probably notice that
they do have the correct address; the fact that
they may have “Occupant” or “Boxholder”
doesn’t matter since mail is delivered by address.
Postmaster Hunt says you are more than
welcome to join the crowd of people who fill up the
four big trash containers in the box section with
unwanted mail. They have to put it in your box,
but you don’t have to take it home with you.
The roads leading to Kings Chapel School are
barely passable. It is impossible to meet a car on
portions of the roads and if we should have a rainy
season now, with ditches just pulled and dirt
pulled out into the road and left, I seriously doubt
if the roads could be traveled. My son has at
tended this school 2 years, and when we moved up
here, people concerned were under the impression
the roads would be paved during 1971.
I also called the State Patrol about two months
ago and reported a Stop Sign to be missing, and to
date nothing has been done about it.
Mrs. E. P., Perry
Houston County Commissioners realize the bad
situation at Kings Chapel School. The road to
which you refer is known as Arena Road, and
petitions have been presented to commissioners in
the past to get it paved. Roads in the county are
given priority numbers for paving, in several
categories. Last year Arena Road was number
one on the Rural Roads list and everyone con
cerned thought paving would soon be ac
complished. However, before it could be paved,
Houston County was notified that it was no longer
eligible for rural road funding, due to an act of the
Legislature that at the same time made us eligible
for Urban Road funds because the county has a
population of more than 50,000.
Former categories for roads were Rural Road
Authority, 100 percent State funded, County and
State Funded, Federal Roads and Improvements
to the State System. Now roads listed under the
Rural Road Authority must be sandwiched in
among the other priorities, and at present the
commissioners don’t know exactly where it will be
placed.
I would like to know the salaries paid to the
Houston County Sheriff, Ordinary, Clerk of
Superior Court and the Tax Commissioner. When
do these four elected county officials have to run
again for office?
8.A., Perry
This is a General Election year in Houston
County and the General Primaries will be held on
August 8, for both Democrats and Republicans.
The General Election will be held on November 7.
Sheriff Albert Hudson earns $1,194.50 monthly,
Ordinary Clinton Watson earns $1,102 monthly;
Clerk Tommie Hunt earns $1,365 monthly; Tax
Commissioner Joyce Griffin earns $1,102.50
monthly. Salaries of all elected officials are a
matter of public record and can be obtained from
the County Clerk’s office in the courthouse.
What does “amen” mean?
G. 8., Perry
The common prayer ending comes from the
Hebrew word “Whoses root” which suggests “so
be it”.
The Houston Home Journal
The Perry Area's Favorite Newspaper For The Past 100 Years
PAGE 1-A
* Citizens Will Begin Paying $1.50 A Month June 1 *
City Adopts Garbage Fee
McKinley, Houghton
* Oppose Action *
City Council voted
Tuesday night 3 to 2 to im
pose a garbage collection fee
here beginning June 1. Perry
citizens, in the past, have
had their garbage collected
at no cost but under the new
policy residences will be
charged $1.50 a month and
businesses will pay $7.50 a
month. Councilmen James
McKinley and D. K.
Roughton voted against the
fee while Councilmen Frank
Alton Hardy and
Henry Casey voted for it.
The new fee was
proposed by Councilman
Frank He said the
City had to come up with
additional revenue and it is
either a garbage fee or a
raise in property taxes. He
said he felt as though most
citizens would rather see a
garbage fee instead of a
raise in the tax millage.
Leonard first proposed the
fee to residences be set at
$2.50 a month but Coun
cilman Henry Casey asked
that it be lowered to $.150.
Council also adopted an
operating budget of $724,110
after a long period of
discussion. The budget
adopted only includes the
general operating fund and
the water dept. It does not
include the gas dept. The
total budget for the City is
expected to be about
$1,400,000 which is close to
$275,000 more than last
year’s budget.
Council’s concern over the
budget was how it would be
financed. That’s the point in
the meeting when the
discussion rolled around to
the controversial garbage
fee.
Councilman McKinley said
he is against the garbage fee
because it will work a hard
ship on persons with fixed
and low monthly incomes.
He also said that he had tried
to get an increase in the City
business licenses for some
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City Honors Peter Meens
Peter Meens (second from right) receives a special award of appreciation
from Mayor Dan Britton on behalf of the City of Perry. Looking on are
( ouncilmen James McKinley (1) and Councilmen Alton Hardy, co-chairmen of
the sanitation dept. Meens is an assistant sewerage treatment plant operator
for the City and he recently passed a test making him a licensed plant
operator. He studied and took the test on his own time and at his own expense.
PERRY, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 1972
time and that it was defeated
and met with strong feeling
by local merchants. He said
the City has one of the lowest
busness license fee
schedules in Middle Georgia.
He noted that there was
nothing political in his
reasons for opposing the fee.
Roughton said he was
opposed to the fee because he
had brought it up a year ago
and it was “knocked down”
before ever reaching
Council. He also gave as his
reason the business license
fees.
Concerning the budget,
said, “We need a
tight period of spending in
the City. Under this
operating budget, it is going
to be difficult for all
departments to achieve the
things they may want but we
are on a restricted spending
at this time.”
McKinley said the City had
spent some $14,490 last year
on conventions and meetings
and that he felt as though
some of that expense can be
cut down.
Councilman also
pointed out that the cost of
operating the sanitation
dept, has almost doubled
since 1966 when it was on a
contract basis with an
outside contractor. That year
garbage collection cost the
City $56,000. also
pointed out that service is
much better now.
Council suspects the
garbage fee, from June to
December, will pull the City
through the financial crisis it
now faces.
Library Gets Green Light
Council voted unanimously
to accept Perry library
board chairman Judge Paul
Armitage’s recom
mendations that the library
bid of $135,400 be accepted
and work begin on the new
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Commissioners Look Over Prison Plans
County officials look over final details of plans
for the new Houston County Correctional In
stitution to be built soon. From left are Com
missioner Alton Tucker; Chairman of Corn
* Low Rent Project Set Here ★
Buddy Belou, architect apartment complexes will be
Perry developers who plan constructed on Smith Drive,
to build a low rent housing Belou said there is about
project here, appeared 500 feet of pipeline that runs
before City Council Tuesday along Smith Drive directly
night to ask for the City’s below where thecomplex will
assistance in moving some be built. He said the cost to
water and sewerage lines move the pipes will be about
that are on the site where the $3,550. Councilman James
structure.
Armitage explained to
Council that the original bid
had been $147,000 and the
City had only agreed to a
maximum of $139,000 to be
spent on the building. Ar
milage said the bid was
lowered because the site
work and paving and
grading had been taken out
of the bid lowering it to
$135,400. He also pointed out
that the Council Com
missioners had agreed to
grant $25,000 to assist in the
construction of the library,
$11,600 of which will be in
inkind work to do the
grading, paving and site
work and $13,400 for fur
niture.
After the Council approved
his recommendations, Ar
mitage stated, "Gentlemen
this is an historic moment in
Perry and the members of
the library board greatly
appreciate your help and
cooperation in this effort for
the people of Perry and
Houston County.”
Former Mayor Malcolm
Keese was the Council
meeting and he reminded
Council that they had ap
proved a maximum of
$139,000 for the building. He
asked that the extra money
be kept in the budget for the
library’s use since they
would use only $135,400 of the
amount to build the building.
He said more money is going
to be needed for furniture
and other items.
missioners Robert Byrd; William York, the
prisoner who drew the plans; Warden Alien
Stone; and Commissioners Cullen Talton and
Frank Rozar.
McKinley said he had dis
cussed the problem with
Belou and Council finally
agreed to install the pipes if
the developers pay for the
new pipes and material and
also agree to give the City
the old pipes on their
property. McKinley said the
existing pipe is in good shape
and can be used again.
Belou said the developers
will build 50 rent subsidy
Cullen Talton To
Run For Sheriff
Cullen Talton has an
nounced that he will be a
candidate for the office of
Sheriff of Houston County in
the Democratic primary on
August 8.
A Houston County Com
missioner for the past five
years, Talton lives at
Bonaire.
In announcing his can
didacy, Talton said, “It has
been my privilege to serve
the people of Houston County
for the past five and one-half
years as one of your county
commissioners, during
which time I have closely
observed all operations of
our county government.
“I am especially con
cerned about the office of
Sheriff. Realizing this office
belongs to you, the people, I
am offering myself as a
candidate for this highly
responsible office.
“I will work toward having
qualified, trained personnel
in all fields to investigate
and properly prepare
evidence in cases, which is
so vital in our courts today.
2 SECTIONS 32 PAGES
apartments here. He noted
that it is the first govern
ment subsidized 221 project
in this area. He said the
complex is unique too
because the apartments will
be centrally heated and
cooled. He said there will be
32 2 bedrooms and 18 3
bedroom apartments in the
complex. Mayo Davis of
Perry is the local developer
of the project.
“I will strive to bring to the
people a department that
will give prompt, courteous,
and efficient law en
forcement that I feel we are
entitled to.”
Talton, his wife Peggy,
and four children, Carlene,
Patty, Cully and Neal, live
on a farm at Bonaire.
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Cullen Talton