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Hampered By Finances
* County Water System
Seeks Way To Expand
The Houston County
Commissioners are ap
parently toying with the idea
of giving some kind of credits
on purchase of water pipe to
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1|) THE BANK OF PERRY
1 SPECIAL NOTICE
FROM CITY OF PERRY
UTILITIES DEPTS.
| (GAS, WATER, SEWAGE)
I New Deposit Rates
I COMMERCIAL
I All new customers must put up a SIOO.OO deposit before any
I utility can be cut on. Old customers whose utility is cut off the
I second time within a six month period must also put up the
I SIOO.OO deposit in addition to a SIO.OO penalty for each cut off.
I A $5.00 charge for each trip by employee after the first will be
I made.
I RESIDENCES
I All new customers must put up a $25.00 deposit each for
I water and gas before the utility can be cut on. Old customers
I whose utility is cut off the second time within a six month
I period must also put up the $25.00 deposit for each in addition
I to a SIO.OO penalty for each cut off. A $5.00 charge for each
I trip by employee fter the first will be made.
I No one is to be notified of delinquent bills.
I These new regulations are to become effective immediately!
; UTILITIES COMMITTEE
Councilman
Alton Hardy,
Henry Casey,
and Gordon Scarborough,Jr.
land developers, in an effort to
induce developers to join the
county water system. The
county water system has long
been plagued by financial
problems.
Tuesday morning Warner
Robins attorney Max Asbell
appeared before the Com
mission, telling them he would
like county water extended to
a 130 acre development he is
building off Corder Road near
Warner Robins. Asbell asked
for a rebate on tap-on fees
inside his subdivision, and
along a 1,350 line necessary to
attach the subdivision to
existing county water lines.
Asbell said that eventually
about 260 lots were to be in
volved in the planned
development. Water lines
from the county pipes to the
subdivision, at $2.00 a foot,
would cost Asbell about $2,700.
But Asbell further wanted the
commissioners to help him
install pipe in the subdivision
itself.
County policy heretofore
has been to install pipe free of
charge from the county lines
to the subdivision property
lines. But the county did not
install the pipe inside sub
divisions without charging the
developer.
Commissioner Charles
Carter said, “We need to
establish some sort of in
centive to get water to
properties - it could be the
salvation of our water
system.”
Commission Chairman
Frank Rozar agreed, “The
time may have come for us to
work out some system. But to
my way of thinking, we need
some kind of guarantees on
income - number of cus
tomers.”
County Attorney Walker
Burke suggested that the
county could rebate to Asbell
fifty percent of all tap-on fees
from present county water
lines to his subdivision lines.
But only limited housing
growth, besides Asbell’s
development, is expected, so
Asbell would be receiving only
limited return on his outlay.
What Asbell said he really
Warner Robins Attorney Max Asbell (L) appears at the County Commission
meeting seeking county aid in getting water to his subdivision under con
struction near Warner Robins. Commissioner Steve Byrd (R) supported a
suggestion to allow the water system to “rebate” cost of lines leading to
subdivisions by doing “in-kind” pipe installation work INSIDE the sub
divisions. The idea is still under consideration as the Commissioners seek a
way to obtain more customers for their financially troubled water system.
Public Defender Off
On Richmond Seminar
Houston County Public
Defender George Williams
was granted approval
Tuesday to attend a three-day
seminar at the University of
Richmond in Richmond,
Virginia. His approval came
from the county commission
at their Tuesday meeting in
Perry.
Williams’ budget showed
almost SI,OOO still left in
budgeted travel expense
funds, so the Commission
quickly agreed to his request.
The seminar on Criminal Law
will be held June 14 and 15.
Among lecturers scheduled
to teach at the seminar
are F. Lee Bailey, author of
“The Defense Never Rests”,
and who has appeared in
several noteworthy cases,
among them the Boston
Strangler case, the Coppolini
murder by poison case, and
the Sam Sheppard case.
Bailey will lecture on
“Preparation for and conduct
of criminal trials”.
Williams’ office was
recently notified that his job
was funded for another year
through a State Crime
Commission grant. Under the
terms of the grant, the county
pays only a small portion of
the total budget.
The total amount of the
budget for the Public
Defender’s office for next
year, as announced by the
Middle Georgia Area Plan
ning and Development
Commission (MGAPDC), is
$23,940.00. The federal
government pays almost
$20,000 of this amount.
George Williams was ap
pointed public defender by
Houston Superior Court Judge
Willis Hunt and the Houston
County Commission as of
January 1. A public defender
handles criminal cases for
persons unable to afford a
lawyer.
In the past, the county has
had to pay lawyers appointed
by the courts to defend such
defendants. State law requires
that a person be given an
opportunity to obtain a lawyer
even if impoverished.
At the time of the program’s
inception at Houston County,
Judge Hunt estimated the
public defender could save the
rnnntv as mnnh as tin ftOH a
wanted, “was for you all to
run a six inch water line free
for me from your lines to my
property. I'd be as happy as a
pig in the sunshine if you did
year in legal expenses.
George Williams is a
graduate of the Alabama Law
School, and was admitted to
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that.”
Still trying to get the county
and Asbell together, County
Attorney Burke suggested
that the cost of Asbell’s line
(about “$2.00 per foot) be offset
with “inkind” work inside the
subdivision. So what Burke
suggested was that the county
install pipe INSIDE the
subdivision free of charge
insofar as the expense of the
developer was incurred in
providing pipe from county
lines to the subdivision. (In
Asbell’s case, about $2,700 of
free pipe installation work.)
Commissioner Steve Byrd
liked the suggestion, saying,
"It would help us get more
customers into the system.”
The commissioners agreed
that if Asbell had been on a
main water line, he would
have had no problems. They
the Georgia Bar Association in
1970. He was formerly a
partner in the law firm of
Spencer, Smith and Williams,
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL THURS., JUNE 6, 1974,
also agreed that if the water
system was in better financial
shape, developers like Asbell
would not have to pay for their
pipe,
Byrd then proposed a policy
of “furnishing labor on a
water main line inside sub
divisions where feasible, to
the extent of the cost to the
developer outside the sub
division, not to exceed one
dollar per foot." He said, “I
see this as a means of letting
our water system grow
without expending any
money."
Commissioners Frank
Rozar and Alton Tucker were
openly hesitant about the idea,
pointing out that only two
employees worked for the
county water system. “It
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PAGE 7-A
could load them up," Rozar
said.
Byrd then asked if it was
legally possible to use prison
labor on the crews. He said,
“These roads in the sub
division are going to be county
roads.” He did agree that the
water line installation would
“have to be on a first come
first serve basis."
Commissioner Carter then
said, “We want to work out
something. But this could
backfire on things done in the
past. It needs to be applicable
to everybody.” The com
missioners then decided to
table the matter until Monday
night’s Commission meeting
in Warner Robins, but
promised Asbell an answer at
that time.