Newspaper Page Text
The Houston Home Journal
VOL. 104 NO. 24
City Adopts Budget;
$77,789 Police Error
Pound By Reporter
Perry City Council Thur
sday night approved a
$1,905,859.01 budget, only to
learn Friday morning that the
budget was in error. The
budget as approved showed the
police department allocated
$181,332.35. In reality its true
budget was $259,121.35, in
creasing the total budget by
over $77,780.00.
Home Journal reporter Joe
Hiett discovered the error
early Friday morning when
| In Budget Error
Mayor Defends
City Employee
Perry Mayor James McKinley was openly
critical Tuesday night of a Sunday newspaper
which said “McKinley blamed the oversight on a
clerical error” which resulted in the ap
proximately $78,000 mistake in the Perry city
budget for fiscal year 1974-75. McKinley blamed a
two month delay in preparing the budget for the
inadvertent error.
McKinley reminded the HHJ that the city has
had three different mayors this year, and said
that the budget wasn’t prepared as lesiurely as
usual. “We had an election to conduct, so as a
result our employees worked a lot of nights and
weekends to get this budget to the council as soon
as possible. As you’re aware, the tax bills
shouldn’t have gone out two months ago.”
McKinley reiterated, “I don’t blame our city
employees. I’m proud of them. They do a fine job.
What happened was a result of the election forcing
us to put off preparing the new year’s budget. The
error happened, but we’ll just have to run a
conservative administration.”
He also said, “I grew up during the Depression
so I know the value of a dollar. And since I am a
conservative by nature, that’s the way the next 12
months will be. We’re going to have to be tight
with our dollars. But we knew that the taxpayers
were already overburdened with spiraling prices,
so we did not want to add a tax raise to their
troubles.”
Not Fair To Employees
>
Roughton Objects To
City Employees Raises
Councilman D.K. Roughton
objected strenuously last
Thursday night to the manner
in which cost-of-living raises
were granted to city em
ployees. It was clear that he
approved of a pay hike, but not
in the manner in which it was
dispensed.
In the midst of discussion,
Roughton reiterated a stand
he took several months ago
when cost-of-living raises
were then being debated,
Roughton stated at that time
that he thought percentage
raises were unfair to the lower
salaried employee. He
maintained, “It costs
everyone the same for
groceries. Why shouldn’t
Aery employee get an across
the-board raise, with
everyone’s salary being in
creased the same amount?”
Thursday night Roughton
said, “I don’t see how anyone
can live on a five and a half
percent raise. Ten (10) per
cent would be small I would
Perry And Houston County’s Independent Newspaper With An Independent Voice
comparing 1973-74 budgets by
department, with the just
adopted 1974-75 budgets. Hiett
immediately called City Clerk
Ruth Bunting, who upon a
glance, verified the error and
contacted Mayor James
McKinley. McKinley said that
a subsequent City Council
meeting would “amend” the
police department budget by
the necessary $77,789.00. Mrs.
Bunting confirmed that the
“contingency fund” would
be willing to raise taxes one
(1) mill if y’all would be
willing to adjust everyone’s
pay with that mill. And I
believe the people of Perry
would go along with it.”
Roughton continued, “I’m
going to vote against all raises
unless everybody gets the
same thing.”
Mayor James McKinley saw
Roughton’s point. McKinley
said, “What you’re saying is
that the top man realizes more
at 5.5 percent than the bottom
man. You believe everyone
should receive the same
amount of money increase.”
McKinley agreed that he
thought Roughton’s point was
well made.
Roughton, after further
discussion, said, “Let’s use
this employee as an example.
Say she makes SIO,OOO a year.
She doesn’t have to steal. But
a man making $3,500-$4,000
with a bunch of chillun, he’s
got to do something.”
PERRY, HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA, THURS., JUNE 13, 1974
thus be sliced from $89,305.56
to $11,516.55.
A large portion of the
contingency fund is already
earmarked for wage and hour
raises that go into effect on
January 1,1975. All employees
now making under $2.00 an
hour will be raised to that
amount, as federal
regulations require.
Anticipated revenues for the
year beginning July 1 include
$391,700 from property taxes,
and total $1,995,164,56.
At a special called City
Council meeting Thursday
night, the city’s governing
body accepted the budget as
prepared by the finance
committee. But an “unof
ficial” meeting on Wednesday
night that lasted for several
hours shaved over “$200,000
off budget requests”, ac
cording to Mayor James
McKinley. It was not divulged
what departmental budgets
were pared to reach the fina
figure.
After McKinley called
Thursday night’s meeting b
order by saying that the
Council was meeting io
“review the budget for fiscal
year 1974-75 and hopefully
adopt same”, Councilman
H.H. Hackworth, finance
committee chairman, said
that “some of the proposed
department budgets make no
provision for the increase in
pay in effect as of January 1,
1975, because of the wage and
hour law. However, the
contingency fund will absorb
this.”
Councilman Alton Hardy
moved to adopt the
$1,905,859.01 budget and was
seconded by Gene Smith.
At Macon Jr. College
Valedictory Speech By Perryan
Mark Mitchell, son of Mr.
and Mrs. O.L. Mitchell, Sr., of
McKinley agreed, saying,
"Almost all of them are
moonlighting (working second
jobs).”
Roughton then charged, “It
leads to crime. I don’t know
where this is communism, or
capitalism, to give percent
raises, but I know it's not
myism anyway!”
Councilman H.H, Hack
worth said, “It’s capitalism,
Dot. What you’re proposing,
with everybody getting the
same raise, is communism,”
Roughton retorted, “1 guess
I’m a Communist them!”
Roughton later voted
against making the raises
effective July 1, "for the
reasons stated.” Ironically, he
in effect voted for the 5.5
percent raises with his af
firmative vote to approve the
proposed 1974-75 budget. But
he stated, “1 want you all to
know where I stand. My
position hasn’t changed.”
When the vote was taken,
after several minutes of
debate, Henry Casey voted
against the budget, saying
that he was opposed to city
employees receiving only a 5.5
percent pay hike. Casey said,
“I tried to compromise at 8
percent, but no one agreed
with that.” (He originally
wanted a ten percent raise.)
Mayor James McKinley
stated to his council, “We’re
going to abide by this budget
with the exception of
emergencies. It’s going to be a
close, tight year.”
He continued, “at our
meeting last night, we
trimmed the budget better
than $200,000 to try to live
within our income without
raising taxes. 1 had rather
make an adjustment to the
budget, than exceed it. We will
adjust it a minimum of three
four times a year.”
After the meeting,
McKinley said, “It’s going to
be a conservative twelve
months.”
Councilman H.H. Hack
worth, finance committee
chairman, agreed, saying,
“It's got to be.” At Tuesday’s
regular Council meeting,
Hackworth had proposed
setting the millage rate at 13
mills. However, he was voted
down, 4-2, as the Council told
him they wanted to study the
budget more closely.
The budget for 1973-74, as
approved last year, was for a
grand total of $1,813,863,07.
But expenditures are expected
to run about SBO,OOO over that
figure, eating up most of the
$128,000 “contingency fund”
set up last year.
1435 Elizabeth Avenue, was
named 1974 Valedictorian of
Macon .Junior College. Mark
had an accumulative grade
point average of 3.94.
In the graduation
ceremonies held at the Grand
Opera House in Macon on
Sunday, June 9, ap
proximately 250 students
received their associate
degrees. The commencement
address was given by Dr.
Arthur G. Hansen, president of
Perdue University.
The valedictory address
centered on the future of this
and coming generations.
Mark spoke of the many
problems facing youth today
as a result of the giant leaps
Mark Mitchell of
Perry delivers
valedictory address at
Macon Junior College
commencement.
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The Houston Hospital Authority Monday night
raised room rates an average of 20 percent in
order to help the hospital meet a break-even point.
Last year both the Warner Robins and Perry
hospitals operated in the “red”. Private room
rates jumped from S3B to $45 a day, while semi
private rooms escalated from $35 to S4O per day.
Left to right are: Authority member James
Effective Immediately
Hospital Room Rates
Hiked Up By Authority
Room rates at the two
Houston County hospitals
zoomed upward an average of
$6.00 a day as a result of action
taken Monday night by the
Houston County Hospital
Authority at their meeting in
Warner Robins. Private
rooms were hiked from $38.00
being made in technological
and educational knowledge.
He ended on an optimistic note
- “It (the diploma) will
mean...we have achieved a
state of discipline and
organization to meet whatever
challenge that was presented
before us. Those future
challenges, be they a job, a
continuation of schooling, or
those challenges concerning
the importance of people, can
be met by using much of the
same organization and
discipline. And the resolution
of those challenges can be like
the end of these two years here
at Macon Jr. College, Tonight
we call it graduation; in the
future let’s call it victory.”
During his two years at
Macon Jr., Mark has made
many accomplishments. He
wrote some for the school
paper, Campus Notebook, and
was a member of Phi Theta
Kappa, an honor society. The
entire two years he also
worked 25-30 hours a week at
Elmore’s and Sears in Perry.
Mark is studying business
administration and plans to
attend the University of
Georgia in the fall. He wants
to become a Certified Public
Accountant upon his
graduation from there.
Mark graduated from Perry
High School in 1972. He said
that he felt a lot of his
academic achievement can be
accredited to the exceptional
educational background he
received from Perry High.
Hospital Authority Ponders
a day to $45.00 a day, while
semi-private rooms rose from
$35.00 a day to $40.00 per day.
The increases went into effect
Tuesday morning.
Other raises made by the
Authority included: intensive
care from $97 to SIOO per day;
emergency room fees from a
base of $5,00 to $7.00; hiking
delivery room fees from $65 to
SIIO.OO (the highest single rate
increase); raising labor room
fees from S2B to $33; and a
twenty percent increase in the
operating room fees.
Medical and surgical
supplies are being hiked in
cost by ten percent. And, a
five percent increase in physio
therapy rates was made.
One big change in con
veniences offered will be
standard availability of both
televisions and telephones at
no extra charge. Prior to the
Authority’s action each
hospital handled the TV’s and
telephones on an “extra
charge” basis.
Authority member James
Stubbs moved to approve the
room rate increases, as well
as pay raises. He was
seconded by Perryan Louis
“Smpkey” Harper. An
emotional debate followed for
almost 45 minutes,
precipitated by a motion by
Wentford Spears to amend
Council Meets
The regular meeting of the
Perry City Council will be held
at City Hall next Tuesday
night, June 18, at 7:30 P.M.
The public is invited and
urged to attend.
Mayor James McKinley
said citizens wishing to appear
before Council and who would
like to have their business
placed on the agenda can do so
by calling City Clerk Mrs.
Ruth Bunting prior to the
meeting. Citizens, however,
do not have to appear on the
agenda to present business
before Council.
Stubbs, Authority member Freeman Colbert,
Authority member Billy Beckham of Perry,
Board Chairman L.A. McConnell, Hospital Ad
ministrator Beverly Chester (foreground),
Authority member Louis Harper of Perry.
Authority member Dr. Wentford Spears,
Authority member Hugh Beatty of Perry, and
Authority member Paul Stalnaker.
Slubbs’ motion to include
merit-tenure raises for nurses
(see another HHJ article).
Stubbs’ motion passed with
all Authority members voting
in favor of it except for
Spears. Another Authority
member, Sherrill Stafford
noted in a “chalk-talk” to the
Authority that a 77 percent
occupancy rale must be
maintained for the hospitals to
Rep. Larry Walker
Named To Governor's
Commission On Crime
Representative Larry
Walker of Perry has been
appointed to the Governor’s
Commission on Criminal
Justice Standards & Goals.
The Commission consists of 32
members sub-divided into six
Task Forties.
The primary objective of
this program is to identify
appropriate standards and
goals for the operation of
Georgia’s criminal justice
system and its continuing
effort to reduce crime and
delinquency throughout the
Slate.
The Commission serves as
an advisory body to the
Governor’s overall study
effort which includes
providing policy direction and
proposing and supporting
criminal justice legislation.
The Commission will also
assist in the public awareness
efforts and finally, review and
adopt recommendations made
by the Tasks Forces.
'The program is one of many
funded by the “Safe Streets
Act” passed by Congress in
1968. The money is directly
allocated to the states which in
turn assist local governments
in their operations.
It is hoped that the Com
mission will achieve the
operate in the black with the
room rale increases and pay
hikes. As of Monday the oc
cupancy at Warner Robins
hospital was 126 of 168 beds - 70
percent.
Stafford also said that a
$36,000 cushion was built into
the increases to possibly help
pay for any subsequent merit
tenure raises passed by the
Authority.
following results: A set of
attainable standards and
goals for Georgia; effective
policies on crime control and
prevention; increased public
confidence in the criminal
justice system; heightened
public awareness of the cole
played by citizens and
governmental agencies in
administering laws; and an
improved system for the
planning and implementation
of effective criminal justice
programs.
Rep. Walker