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"Missing" Chairs Found
Long Hours, Fatigue
Mark Budget Setting
By Joe Hiett
The six men grew more and
more fatigued as the night
wore on. Fatigued because
they were at their third
meeting in three days, and
twentieth in less than thirty
days. Fatigued because they
knew that they did not have
any way of meeting all their
needs Worried because they
knew a disgruntled public
would not appreciate the
hours spent in the decisions
eventually made
The problem was really
fairly simple Not enough ad
valorem (ax money would be
available to the Houston
County government, without
raising taxes, to pay for all
anticipated expenses As a
result, many items considered
“essential" by the various
department heads saw the
executioner’s axe, being
cropped from the budget.
The meeting last Thursday
flight had begun on an un
[settling note, when two of the
County Commissioners
arrived at the meeting room
at the Courthouse in Perry, to
j find their armchairs were not
Jin the room "Those chairs
jiughl not be moved out of
i here," they thundered, but
i after a moment's pause,
I veteran commissioners Frank
' liozar and Alton Tucker soon
(j figured out the location of the
e chairs.
r Off they went, to return a
k few moments later pushing
j, the chairs ahead of them
i Their location will remain
V
■ unrevealed, but suffice it to
say they had been removed
i from the Commission meeting
' room. Without further delay
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the six men Frank Hozar,
Alton Tucker, Commission
Chairman Charles Carter,
Commissioner Steve Byrd,
County Clerk Lamar Brown,
and Assistant Clerk Putney
Goodwin- opened their black
notebooks and plunged into
the first of more than twenty
budgets
In the back of all’s minds
was the need of the Hospital
Authority for county
assistance in paying hospital
construction bond payments.
In the uncharted regions of
the consciousness was the
thought, "We just don’t have
any way...”
Obvious to all present was
the considerable thought
given to each departmental
budget. Obvious too was the
over-riding wish to somehow,
some way, provide for ex
penses without raising taxes
X m v 7
Jaco’s Fabric Store of Warner Robins held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last
Friday to celebrate moving into its new location at Miller Hills Shopping
Center. Left to right are: John Wright (manager), Ginger Rogers, Supervisor
Jerry Sirtnons cutting the ribbon, Nelda Morgan, Ann Deitz, and Brenda
Durham.
•
Self preservation was one
reason, but probably even
deeper was the realization
that the taxpayers were
already overburdened
Manning the adding
machine was Assistant Gerk
Putney Goodwin, to add on or
lake off last minute budget
changes Back onto the
preliminary budget went
$3,000 for medical supplies for
the County Jail on Kings
Chapel Hoad The depart -
mental budget showing the
most chopping was Public
Roads and Bridges, cut from a
request of $697,619 all the way
to $423,219 • a cut of over
$260,000. The majority of the
cut was in equipment Warden
Allen Stone had requested for
county roads
By ironic result, a total of
$238,000 was left in the budget
(as of Monday) for road
rights-of-way $38,000 was for
the Industrial Park Road, and
SIOO,OOO each for the Watson
Road extension and the
Richard B Russell Parkway.
Brought up was the less
than-just reality that although
the federal government can
operate in the "red”, at a
deficit-- and always does - the
«• local governments MUST
program a balanced budget.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if y’all
could just allocate for
everything you needed,
whether or not the money was
available?” was a question
put to the six men.
A quick smile creased the
weary brows, replaced by a
frown, as all realized the
absurdity of the question.
At about 10:25 P.M., two and
a half hours after the meeting
had begun, the board of
Oiinc^ieM
cAtews
Rij Jo j
Mr and Mrs. Harold Huff
had as their visitors on
Monday Mr. and Mrs. Gordon
Mosley and children, and Mr
and Mrs Dozier and daughter
Sabrena.
Mr and Mrs. James Carroll
and children, Delonica,
Michael and Neal, were the
overnight guests of Mr. and
Mrs. Gordon Mosley on
Thursday. The Carrolls are
from Tenn. and were on their
way for a vacation in Florida
Mr and Mrs. Raymond Huff
of Dudley were the Saturday
night dinner guests of Mr and
Mrs Harold Huff. Raymond
has been sick and is now back
in the Middle Georgia
Hospital. I don’t have the
room number but I'm sure
he’ll get your cards and letters
and please remember him in
your prayers
Mr and Mrs. Gordon
Mosley had as their guests on
Sunday afternoon Mr and
Mrs. Wendell Ratterree and
children and Mr and Mrs.
Ruena Mathis and Tina of
Warner Robins
The June meeting of the
W.O.C. was held on Monday
night. We wish to welcome
Mrs Mary Ann Dozier Other
members attending were Mrs.
Judy Thompson, Mrs, Lilia
McCraven, Mrs. Diane Rider.
Mrs Harriett Huff, Mrs.
Emily Ratterree, Mrs. Ruth
Taylor. Mrs Francis
Thompson.
There will be a meeting of
all vacation Bible School
teachers on Thursday mor
ning at 9 30 at the church The
regular meeting of the
Thursday morning Bible
Study will begin at 10:00.
HLCC Bridge
Winners Told
The Houston Lake Country
Club duplicate bridge winners
for Thursday night. May 29,
were first place. Betty and
Shaffer Day; second. Beulla
Sain and Marge Mahon; third,
Catherine and Bill Willis;
fourth, Kay and Bob Allen
commissioners began to see
daylight... or so they thought
Departmental budget
requests totaled $3,361,865
The group then tacked on
$56,000 in proposed raises for
county employees, and added
a $91,760 contingency fund to
raise total anticipated ex
penses to $3,418,803.
Anticipated income was
shown to be $3,670,425, which
left $159,862 still to be spent, or
so the board thought But then
County Commissioner Steve
Byrd pointed out that $142,000
shown as income from the
state health department had
not been added as being spent
After several minutes of
debate, the board realized
Byrd was correct. Prestol The
$159,000 left over had dwindled
to just $17,862 out of a budget
of well over three million
dollars.
With a grim look on his face.
County Commission Chair
man Charles Carter an
nounced, “Well, it’s come to
what we feared for a month.
We re going to have to face
realities .” He then said what
everyone already had
realized- the budget included
not a single penny for either
construction of the State Court
building, or for helping the
Hospital Authority pay its
bond expenses
He added, “Let’s put them
off... don’t budget either one."
Steve Byrd agreed, “Looks
like the State Court has to
wait.” Alton Tucker agreed,
“No way in the world we can
go with it now.”
Quick arithmetic (Jjsclosed
that the county, at ten mills
taxes, would be short about
SBBO,OOO if it tried to pay the
two unbudgeted items
s26s,ooo for the hospital, and
S6OO,(XX) for the State Court.
Carter added that a four mill
tax increase would be
necessary to raise the
SBBO,OOO.
In the back of the board’s
mind was another thought
provoking situation. County
“constitutional” offices- the
Sheriff, the Tax Com
missioner, the Probate Judge,
the Superior Court Clerk- can
appeal to the grand jury any
budgets set by the county for
their departments.
Alton Tucker said, “If the
constitutional officers appeal
and get it, it’ll be the grand
jury raising taxes, not us.”
(The board subsequently
met again Tuesday morning
and again discussed the tax
situation. For that, see
another HHJ article.)
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All Locations Phone 987-2554 I E
( 1
J Personals From ,
! TWencfe/ison 1
BY DORIS THAMES
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Pate
spent Tuesday night, June 3,
with Mr. and Mrs. Marvin
Perkins and family in Atlanta.
Mr. and Mrs. Ricky Prater
and Travis, and June and
Jerry Pearce enjoyed a trip to
Sik Flags Monday, June 2.
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth
Ragan of Augusta visited Mrs,
Hugh Ragan, Sr., and Mr
John L, Knight and Johnny
over the weekend
I You are invited to I
I hear the dynamic I
I sounds of I
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I / 9:00 P.M. till | I
( Red Fox Lounge - Holiday f
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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL THURS.. JUNE 5, 1975,
Friends will be happy to
hear that Mrs Edna Pearce is
home from the hospital and
doing much better
Mrs. Louis Ragan, Sr., and
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Ragan,
Jr, and Stacie attended little
Michelle Cloud’s birthday
party in Macon Saturday, May
31. Michelle is the daughter of
Melton and Pat Ragan Cloud.
Mrs. Louis Ragan, Sr.,
visited her parents, Mr. and
PAGE 8-A
Mrs. D R Anderson, Sr., in
Cordele Tuesday, June 3.
Mrs. Hugh Ragan, Sr.,
visited Mrs. E.H. Gill in
Cordele June 4,
Henderson Baptist will hold
their Vacation Bible School
June 16 thru June 20. Hours
are from 1 P.M. til 4 P.M, each
day Registration day is June
13 at 9 A M. All children age 3
and up are invited to attend,
Mrs. William Wilder of
Macon visited her parents,
Mr. and Mrs; Leon Ragan and
Becky Saturday, May 31.
Henderson Baptist Church
will show the film, “If The
Footman Tire You, What Will
The Horses Do?” Sunday,
June 8, at their regular
Sunday evening service.
Services begin at 7:45. You
are invited to attend.