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Georgia Secretary of State Ben Fortson was in
Perry last Wednesday night to speak at a family
supper at the Perry United Methodist Church.
Greeting the Secretary is State Representative
Highly Paid WR Director
Ambulance Pay Scales
Cause County Concern
Despite being on an hourly
wage of $2.00, the director of
the Houston County Am
bulance Service in Warner
Robins, Jessie Scott, last year
earned $14,700 in that
capacity. $4,160 of (he wages
was in normal pay, and $9,540
was (or overtime. The
disclosure came at a Tuesday
special meeting of (he Houston
County Commission in Perry,
with James Wagner,
Executive Director of the
Hospital Complex, in at
tendance along with Billy
Beckham of Perry, Hospital
Authority Vice-Chairman.
All the ambulance at
tendants are on schedules
which have them working for
24 consecutive hours, then off
for 48 hours Base wage was
$2.00 an hour last year But all
drivers and attendants
receive time and a half pay for
the final 16 hours of each shift
Asa result, normal yearly pay
(or the attendants averages
about SB,(XX) per year
Wagner and Beckham
appeared at the Tuesday night
George W. Polk
Church Os Christ To
Get New Minister
This Sunday, June 1, will be
Clifford May’s final sermon as
minister of the Perry Church
of Christ Effective next
Monday. May and his family
will move to Troy, Ohio, where
May has accepted a preaching
position with the Church of
Christ in that city iSee letter
to the editor.)
Named to replace May
as minister of the Perry
Church of Christ is George W.
Polk, 48. currently a resident
of Fort Valley Polk helped to
organize the Perry
congregation in late 1968 and
served as preacher until 1970
He has been minister at the
Fort Valley Church of Christ
from 1970 until a few weeks
ago
Polk and his homemaker
wife, Ouida, have three
children. Richard, 17, will be a
senior at Peach County High
next year Denise, 15, is a
freshman at Peach County,
and David. 11, is attending
elementary school
Upon sale of their home in
Fort Valley, the Polks will be
moving to Perry to take up
residence in the church-owned
home at 1422 Elizabeth
Avenue in Perry. The
telephone number of the home
in Perry will remain 987-2611.
Polk was born in Charlotte,
North Carolina, but moved to
meeting on request from the
Commission A bill of
$10,653.64 for the month of
March, submitted by the
Hospital Authority to the
Commission for ambulance
service operation, raised the
Commission’s eyebrows, so
the meeting was arranged.
After a brief discussion of
items in that SIO,OOO bill, the
commissioners asked Wagner
to make general observations
regarding the service. Wagner
confirmed that base pay (or
the attendants was now $2.15
per hour (minimum wage),
with the staff being on the 24-
on, 48-off basis He confirmed
that overtime was being paid
after the first eight hours of
each shift, "in order to bring
them to a livable wage.”
The disclosure of Scott’s pay
followed, together with
Wagner stating that he had
recently changed Scott to a
straight salary basis, at $6 97
per hour, or $14,500 per year.
This is S2OO less than the pay
Scott received last year on the
$2.00 an hour rale. (In ad
Georgia at an early age He
has Ihh'ii employed at the
Warner Robins Air Logistics
Center (WRALC) for thirty
years as an Inventory
Management Specialist. Polk
graduated from high school
from Lanier High of Macon in
1943
In 1970, the Polks moved to
Fort Valley. Polk has been
active in preaching in Middle
Georgia, helping to organize
Churches of Christ in both
Eatonton and in Sandersville.
He is currently taking ad
vanced courses at the
SouthEastern School of
Evangelism in Doraville,
Georgia
George Polk
Larry Walker (left) and the Reverend Elick
Bullington. Fortson gave an inspiring and en
tertaining talk to the capacity crowd at the church
supper.
dition, he received S3,(XX) from
the Warner Robins Hospital
for serving as an orderly.)
Beckham defended
Wagner’s action, staling that
"it would be logical for Jim to
assume since he (Scott) was
allowed to make that much
last year, he could make it this
year." Wagner was not the
Hospital Complex chief
executive last year, and was
hired only in February of this
year. Beckham said that
Wagner could not be held
responsible for events which
occurred before his arrival on
the scene.
Beckham did add, “I had no
idea he (Scott) was paid that
kind of money last year. I had
no idea he was now on straight
salary. I don’t think the full
Authority knew he had that
much access to funds last
year But I'll guarantee he
won't draw that much this
year."
Commissioner Frank Rozar
was astounded by Scott’s
wages of last year, He com
mented, "We have heads of
departments in the county not
making that kind of money.
Commissioner Alton Tucker
addixl, "Our Sheriff was just
* put up to that kind of salary.”
Authority Vice Chairman
Beckham responded, "Let’s
take the heat off Jim
(Wagner) and pul it where it
belongs, on us, 1 guess We had
Thursday afternoons at the
hospitals when we didn’t know
if we could make the payroll
on Friday mornings Jim was
placed on that aspect when he
arrived in February.”
Beckham continued, "He
has been able to turn the
financial situation around -
but not enough to allow us to
meet bond payments But the
profit picture has been turned
around, and the cash situation
is up We now have a comp
troller (Mike Capps' familiar
with the Systems Three
computer. Our third crisis was
the Ambulance Service - one 1
assume Jim can devote time
to now,"
Commission Chairman
Carter agreed that Wagner
was not to blame for events
that occurred before
February of this year.
Beckham added that the
SB,OOO earned by most at
tendants each year might
"sound out of proportion, but
they have to be EMT
(Emergency Medical
Technician trained They
work overtime to get up to a
livable wage "
WAGNER RECOMMENDS
The Commissioners tjien
asked Wagner for any
recommendations he might
have in regard to the am
bulance service. He offered
four alternatives: 1) leaving
things as they are now; 2) no
change except having county
Purchasing Agent Miller
Heath make all purchases; 3)
moving the ambulance “to the
provinces of the cities” - or
operating from either fire or
police stations; and 4) cen
tralizing the service. He said
he was aware the county owns
"land close to the geographic
center of the county” -
presumably at Moody Road
Park.
A few minutes later Wagner
was asked his opinion on
centralizing the service. He
observed that he "had ridden
from Warner Robins Hospital,
and from the center of (he
county, past Perry" to the
southernmost point of Houston
County “in excess of the speed
limit, and it took quite a
while."
Wagner and Beckham both
agreed that the ambulance
.service, especially in Warner
Robins, had been lacking in
supervision in the past (with
Scott as its director). Asked
outside the meeting room how
many of the wrecks and other
problems applied to the
ambulance service in Perry,
Wagner said he “wasn’t sure,
but" thought the majority
were concerning the Warner
Robins service.
As far as the HHJ has been
able to determine, the Perry
Hospital Ambulance Service
has had but one wreck since
its inception in December of
1972. That one mishap oc
curred in May, 1973. By
comparison, the Warner
Robins service has had
numerous accidents. Scott is
not affiliated with the Perry
service
( \
Meeting Wednesday Night
$500,000 Bonds "Sore Spot"
The Houston County
Commission Tuesday night in
Perry decided to hold a
special meeting Wednesday
night (yesterday) with the
county Hospital Authority to
discuss several matters, most
prominent being the nearly
$560,000 in construction bond
payments the authority has
asked the Commission to pay
this year.
After the meeting last night
at the Houston County
Hospital in Warner Robins,
the Commission was expected
to begin the backbreaking
task of trying to set the 1975-76
fiscal year budget for the
J county government, A
I “marathon session was
140 Will Receive Diplomas
Perry High Graduation *
Set For Friday Night
This Friday night 140 Perry
High seniors will receive
diplomas of graduation. The
ceremony is scheduled to
begin at 8:15 P.M. on the
football field. Senior class
president Tony Tysdn will
address the crowd, and Perry
High Principal Malcolm J.
Marchman, assisted by
Assistant Principal James
Dinkins, will hand out
diplomas.
There are sixteen First
Honor graduates this spring.
They are: Susan Kirkland
Arnall, Robin Dawn Avant,
Robert Wilson Brown, Sally
Anne Funk, Kathy Maria
George, Denise Harding,
Charlotte Marie Hobson,
Connie Diane Jackson, Gary
S. Kinsey, Lynn Marie Myers,
Eileen Elizabeth Neubaum,
Margaret Riley, Maria
Herminia Sodupe Barata,
James B, Turner, Anthony W.
Tyson, and Dale A. Willard.
There are 20 Second Honor
graduates. They include:
Margaret Lynn Arnold, Jaru
Tonkino Ash, Randall Keith
Banks, Mark Burnette,
Rebecca Farr, Glenda
George, Mildred Michelle Hill,
Cindy L. Holley, Deborah
Lynne Jackson, Joseph
Michael Kelly, Angelia Maria
Kidder, Charles W. Lollis,
Vickie Darlene Moore, Darrell
G. Monroe, Randy Monroe
Murphy, Joseph W. Nadeau,
Sheree Yvette Norwood,
Priscilla Thomas, and Randy
G. West.
Other 1975 seniors that will
receive diplomas Friday night
include: Cheryl Kay Arnold,
Elaine Bailey, John Frank
Barton, Varnessa Billings,
Rhonda Erica Birkhofer,
Charles Randolph Boland,
Morris Bowen, George Tracy
Bramlett, Prentice Lamar
Brown, Randy Lee Cannon,
Mark Sullivan Cherry,
Ethelyn Faye Clerkley,
Darlene Carol Coffee, and
David Turner Coley, Jr.
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Dr. Allen Ault (second from left) was guest
speaker at the Perry Kiwanis Club last Tuesday.
Dr. Ault is director of the Georgia Prison System
and gave the Kiwanians an update on the situation
predicted.
The budget requests totaled
more than a million dollars
more than funds expected to
be present from this year’s tax
digest, if the tax millage rate
is held at last year’s level of
10.0 mills for general county
government operation. The
county board has repeatedly
said they will “do everything
in our power not to have to
raise taxes”, but unless some
unexpected break occurs,
may have to increase ad
valorem taxes anyway.
The Commission is
somewhat upset over action
taken last week by the
Hospital Authority, wherein
hospital employees were
Others include; Dianne
Crider, Eddie B. Davis, Glenn
Davis, Peggy Lynn Davis,
Benne Jo Dent, Alfred H.
Dixon, David Doss, Paula
Dawn English, Chadrick
Ezell, Melanie Ann Fairchild,
Linda Fairfax, William
Harold Flournoy, Jr., Marva
Ann Grace, Willis Howard
Graham, Jr., Alonzo Green,
Lee Ellen Hamer, Carol Faye
Hancock, and Mary Jean
Harris.
Still more graduates Friday
night will include; Allan
Henry, Vickie Valetta Hill,
Valerie Ann Howard,
Stepheny J. Hovatter, Darlene
Hudson, Linda L. Jackson,
Michael Garrett Jackson,
Cynthia D. Jacobs, Linda
Marie Keen, Renae Kendrick,
Elijah King, Lillie Ruth King,
Mary Lou Kosior, Claudis
Lester, Patricia Ann Lawson,
Yvonne Lawson, Carolreatha
Lester, Shirley Ann Lester,
Sogodero Club Holds
Cerebral Palsy Drive
For the first time Perry is
going to have a Cerebral Palsy
Drive. Mrs. Jack Smith, Mrs.
Gary Bishop and Mrs. Skeet
Hulbert of the Sogadera Club
have been working hard
getting things organized.
Cerebral Palsy is a group of
medial conditions charac
terized by nerve or muscle
dysfunction It is caused by
damage to the part of the
brain which controls and
coordinates muscular action.
This damage can come during
development before birth,
physical injury or infectious
disease.
There is no cure for
given a 5.5 percent cost of
living raise, at the same time
the Authority is asking the
Commission to pay the
$553,000 in hospital con
struction bond payments. The
Commission said they had
expected to be able to give
county employees a “fair”
raise, but now probably “just
don’t have the money”.
Other factors besides the
hospital financial troubles
have saddled themselves on
the five man board of com
missioners. In the preliminary
figures handed out about a
month ago, $238,000 was to be
set aside for rights-of-way on
county road projects. This
included; $38,000 on the In-
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL THURS., MAY 29, 1975,
Bobby Little, and Linda Jean
Luster.
Other graduates will in
clude: Gloria Ann Mace,
Cynthia Gail McGhee, Danny
H. McKenzie, Norman Ken
neth McKinley, Jr., Anthony
Milton, Monecia Devon
Mobley, Marilyn Kay Morgan,
Susan Annette Nappier, Julius
Newberry, John G. O’Neal,
Jr., Robert Allen Poole,
Marcus Ragin, Wanda Lynn
Ray, Laura Leigh Redmond,
and Lula Releford Cherry.
Also on the list are: Vickie
Releford, Martha Lynn
Richardson, Deborah Allene
Rider, David Ridley, Lillie
Ridley, Randy F. Rush,
Rickey Rumph, Ethel M.
Scott, Shirley Scott, Walter L.
Scott, Albert Simon, Monta
Clotine Smith, Carol Smith,
Derrick Solomon, Janet
Stewart, Andrea Stokeling,
Cassandra Stripling, and
Terri Lynn Taylor.
Cerebral Palsy but con
siderable knowledge is at
hand to assist in preventing
Cerebral Palsy due to birth
injury. Other preventative
programs are directed toward
reducing prematurely,
congenital malformations and
unnecessary exposure to X
ray and controlling diabetes
and anemia.
The emphasis has been put
on helping the child in his
growth and development.
Skilled professional personnel
are important features of the
treatment program.
Some 750,000 people in the
United States are affected by
facing his dept, today. With Dr. Ault from left are
Houston Probate Judge Clinton K. (Clint) Watson,
Ault, Houston Superior Court Judge Willis Hunt
and Houston Prison Warden Allen Stone.
dustrial Park road in north
Houston; SIOO,OOO on the
Watson Road extension; and
SIOO,OOO on the Richard B.
Russell Parkway.
But last week’s action by the
U.S. Air Force may have
added more funding problems
to the board. In a statement
issued by Senator Sam Nunn,
the Air Force allocated
$300,000 toward acquiring
rights-of-way on the R.B.
Russell Parkway inside
Warner Robins. BUT said that
the county and city had to ante
up the remaining $150,000.
The right of way in question
is in the city of Warner
Robins, from Welbom Road to
Feagin Mill Road. Months ago
PAGE 2-A
Also to graduate will be:
Virginia Faye Taylor, William
M. Thorpe, Jr., Bryan
Thurmond, Rose Marie
Toomer, John Scott Watts,
Belinda Whitehead,
Genevieve V. Winters, Marty
L. Wilkerson, Delphine
Williams, Daniel K. Willard,
Elaine Kay Wilson, Carol B.
Wood, Tyrone Sylvester
Woodley, Jess Keith Wright,
Charlie Wright, and Kenneth
Paul Zammit.
Receiving certificates will
be; Geneva Allen, Marvin
Daniels, Sheila Dugger, Alice
Mace, and Henri Mae West.
Ushers will include: Ric'<«
Allen, Ricky Bass, Johff
Brown, Bill Crowhorn, Lee
Grant, Eddie Harmon, James
Hillson, Keith Hudson, Dave
King, Dennis Little, Keith
Lockerman, Kenneth Lum
pkin, Chip McCurdy, Garrett
Milton, and Wayne Murphy.
Cerebral Palsy. About one,
third of these are teenager
and young adults. Each year
15,000 babies are born with
this condition.
Cerebral Palsy can be
prevented but it takes medical
guidance and care and
education. The drive began
May 8 and will go through
June 1.
The Sogadera Club hopes
that when one of its members
knocks on your door you will
read the helpful literature and
give generously for without
your help the vital services
and research could not be
made available.
the city of Warner Robins
disclosed that its coffers were
bare, and asked the federal
government for assistance in
paying the right of way. ToM
amount expected to be need*
is $450,000. It now appears that
the county may have to put up
funding for at least a portion
of the $150,000 not allocated by
the Air Force.
One budget request that
may be eliminated altogether
from next fiscal year’s fun
ding might be $76,136.00 for
Rabies Control. That amount
was actually in this year’s
budget, but other unexpected
expenses necessitated its
spending for other things.
J