Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 105 NO. 15 PERRY. HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 1975
Mayor McKinley Surveys Fire
Perry Mayor James McKinley (left) and fire chief Sirah
Lawhorn confer on the damage done by a massive fire at the
city’s sanitary landfill last Saturday that spread over a 200
yard area of trash and debris brought to the dump Saturday
morning during the city’s annual clean-up day. Mayor
McKinley said the fire started when a county dump truck
Commissioners Set Action In Motion
Houston May Get Local
Option Sales Tax Action
Under urging by County
Commissioner Alton Tucker,
the Commission Tuesday
night at their meeting in Perry
moved to assemble all
necessary research to “get the
machinery in motion” for the
county to impose the one (1)
percent local option sales tax
as soon as possible. The bill is
effective July 1, and has not
yet been signed by Georgia
Governor George Busbee.
Tucker said he would like to
see a sales tax referendum as
"soon as Gov. Busbee signs
the bill.” County Attorney
Walker Burke told the board
<s® y could “call for the
referendum”, at which point
Tucker moved to have Burke
and Clerk Sonny Watson
research and prepare in
formation for the board.
Frank Rozar seconded
Tucker’s motion and it passed
Perry Phone Bills
To Rise Slightly
The Georgia Public Service
Commission today approved
i&tailed tariffs for General
Telephone Company of the
Southeast in connection with
the $2.7 million increase in
annual revenues granted by
the Commission on March 19.
The new tariffs establish the
basic telephone rates for each
exchange served by the
Company and also cover rates
for other items and services
provided. The new rates,
effective April 1, 1975, vary in
amount of increase from
exchange to exchange.
Perry District Service
The Houston Home Journal
unanimously.
If the Commission calls for a
county wide referendum on the
subject, and it passes the
voters test, then Warner
Robins, Perry, and Houston
County’s government would
split approximately $1,479,000,
according to state revenue
department financial
estimates. Os that amount,
Perry would likely receive
about $245,000, Warner Robins
about SBOO,OOO, and Houston
County the remainder- about
$400,000.
If the local option sales tax
becomes law in Houston
County, a one percent local
sales tax would be imposed on
all retail sales. The state
revenue department receives
one (1) percent of monies
collected for administration
costs. If the tax is placed in
effect, governments affected
Manager Kenneth Aldridge, in
commenting on the new rates,
said: "In the past some
customers have been paying
rates not necessarily related
to their local calling scope.
The new pricing concept
establishes rates on a more
equitable basis so that
customers with smaller local
calling scope pay less than
customers with larger calling
scopes."
Aldridge said that the new
rates will be reflected on bills
received by customers
beginning April 16, with ap
propriate adjustments back to
Published Every Thursday At Perry Georgia’s Real Welcome Center
MUST reduce property taxes
equivalent to the proceeds
received by the government
by the tax, in the fiscal year
following collection of the tax.
Some skeptics ask if the
governments could raise their
taxes for a year, then roll
them back the next year, and
in effect not cut them at all.
This is entirely possible, but
Clerk Sonny Watson said
Tuesday night, “Os course, the
elected officials would have to
stand test of getting re-elected
if they were to do that.”
In 1974, the state depart
ment of revenue collected
$4,108,821.01 in sales tax in
Houston County- based on
three percent of a dollar spent.
According to figures furnished
by State Representative Larry
Walker of Perry- obtained
from the state- the state
the April 1 effective dale.
The Commission also ap
proved the concept of a 20-cent
charge for Directory
Assistance calls. However,
this will not become effective
until the details of the plan
have been worked out.
Aldridge stated that "60
percent of all calls to Direc
tory Assistance are made by
only 10 percent of our
customers We feel it is fairer
to all customers for the small
group who use the service
excessively to bear the
greater portion of the cost.”
Under the new rate group,
being used in the clean-up activities caught fire while
dumping a load of trash. McKinley said city and county fire
and street crews kept the fire under control and covered the
smoldering trash with dirt Saturday afternoon (see more
photos inside this week).
projects collection of
$4,437,526,69 in 1975, based on
an eight (8) percent growth
factor over 1974. Thus the
state estimates that a one
percent local sales tax would
bring in about $1,479,175.56 in
Houston County.
If the county called a
referendum and it failed to be
approved by county voters,
then the two most populous
cities in a county (in Houston
County- Warner Robins and
Perry) can call for a city-wide
referendum on the subject. In
this event, the cities would
receive all funds collected,
with the exception of the one
percent remanded to the state.
If the cities ask the county to
call a referendum, and the
county fails to make such a
call within ninety (90) days of
a request, then the cities can
themselves hold a referen
which applies to the Perry
exchange, the monthly local
service cost for a residence
one party line will go from
$9.45 to $10.65; two party from
$7.70 to $8.85; four party from
$6.25 to $7.55. A business one
party line will be increased
from $21.15 to $23,70; two
party from $19,20 to S2O 60;
four party from $17.25 to
$lB 20.
The District Service
Manager also said that
customers desiring additional
information on the new rates
could contact the local
General Telephone Business
Office.
dum. If a city were to suc
cessfully impose the sales tax,
and the county later passed a
referendum enabling it to
collect the lax, the county is
prohibited from levying the
tax until the city’s current
fiscal year comes to an end.
Assuming the county calls
for a referendum and it fails,
at least 24 months must elapse
before another countywide
referendum could be held.
Once implemented, a
government can elect to
discontinue collection by
transmitting a resolution to
Cont. on page 2-A
All 'Male' Beauties Prepare For Contest
The Perry Business Women’s Club is sponsoring
“An Evening of Fun - An All Male Beauty Contest’’
this Saturday night at the Perry High gymnasium
at 8:00 P.M. Tickets will be available at the door
for SI.OO each. In addition to the more than sixty
lovelies in the contest, singer Tommy Storey and
Sally Stanley’s Dancers will furnish en
A iIVIJUU
June 10 Approval Date
School Board
Discusses Next
Year's Budget
The Houston County Board
of Education Tuesday mor
ning heard finance chief
Seabie Hickson tell them he
was already looking at
projections for next fiscal
year’s county school system
budget. Hickson said that by
the May 13 board meeting he
will present the school board
with a salary recom
mendation and allocation of
personnel suggestions from
School Superintendent David
Perdue. A special meeting will
probably be called in late May
to consider the budget.
Hickson suggested that the
tentative budget be approved
at the June 10 school board
meeting. The tentative budget
will then be advertised in The
Houston Home Journal for two
weeks, after which time a
public hearing will be held
(probably at the July board
meeting) and the 75-76 budget
will be adopted, along with a
setting of millage required to
produce necessary income.
Hickson added, ‘‘The forms
have to be mailed out to the
state by July 14. State law now
requires that we put the
EXACT ending balance on the
budget, so we will have to wait
until after June 30 (the end of
this fiscal year), to prepare
the exact copy.”
Hickson said he was mailing
Tuesday to each school
principal detailed forms on
which they should submit
budget requests. In addition,
departmental heads will
prepare requests. All input
will be consolidated and
submitted to the school board
for their decisions.
The school system financial
director said that a new
Electronic Data Processing
(EDP) machine now in
operation “puts us in a new
ballgame’’. He explained that
when computation was done
by hand, the board could wail
longer before making a
decision. But with the EDP
machine, “everything has to
be programmed and put in the
machine, which means
decisions have to be made
earlier.”
In a related vein, Hickson
related the system’s current
financial position. He said the
April 1 balance was $439,159
with a $500,000 certificate of
deposit maturing on April 3,
giving a balance of $961,264.
Quarterly Social Security
payments and other
obligations will reduce the
expected May 1 balance to
approximately $341,000.
In addition to the amount of
Mayor Lauds Air Guard
For Work On Ball Field
Perry Mayor James
McKinley Wednesday mor
ning officially commended
eight members of a Georgia
Air National Guard unit who
were instrumental in the
placement of lights at the
Creekwood Recreation Park
in Perry. The eight men are
members of the 202 Electrical
Installation Corps, stationed
at Macon’s Lewis B. Wilson
Airport, under the command
of Major George Finison.
Mayor McKinley said the
eight men did work, “on their
own time, on weekends,
without charge” that would
have cost at least $2,500 if a
contractor had performed it.
They erected all poles at the
tertainment. Left to right, seated, are: “Granny”
Moody Mulkey. Toni Deloach, and “Mama”
Rilette Hunt. Standing, left to right, are: Richard
“Geraldine ” Goodroe, David “Delphine”
Belflowers, Jim “Jennie” West. Don “Donna”
Simmons. Billy “Billie” Stewart, and Wofford
“Wyline” Sinyard.
28 PAGES
cash on hand, the school
system has a considerable
sum invested- $1,600,000. In
fact, a hundred thousand
dollars has been invested
since last year. The large
current surplus of funds was
caused by unexpected arrival
of almost $1,200,000 in federal
IMPACT funds, monies un
budgeted in the 74-75 school
budget.
Last year the Board of
Education sliced two mills off
the 73-74 millage rate, which
was a legal limit of 20 mills.
Further cuts from 18 mills, or
at least no increase in millage,
is a possibility, due to in
creased tax digest and the
surplus funds. But Hickson
made no reference to the
millage rate at Tuesday’s
meeting in Perry.
field, installed all lighting, and
wired all lights. This included:
wiring, junction box in
stallation, switch box in
stallation, and control panel
installation.
The eight men are: Master
Sergeant Peter Lauritsen;
Tech Sergeant John Ramsey;
Tech Sgt. Melvin W. Bostick;
Staff Sergeant John M.
Phillips; and Sergeants
Kenneth B. Hamrick, Winston
Lawson; Dan Carstarphen;
and Russell Worsham.
Mayor McKinley com
mented, “The City of Perry is
deeply indebted to these eight
men who so generously gave
of their own time to assist us.