Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 106 NO. 28
Mayor McKinley Surprises Council
With Action To Quit Full-Time Job
Will Resume Part-Time Status
Perry Mayor James
McKinley surprised his
fc city council Tuesday night
when he told them he
would no longer be a "full
time" mayor of the city,
effective immediately.
Mayor McKinley, who
retired from Robins Air
Force Base In February,
has been the city's first full
time mayor since that
time. He told council he
has spent most days since
that time at city hall, many
late nights and most
weekends on the job. He
said he felt he had to
devote more time to his
two teenage daughters and
his wife.
The mayor stated, "This
is a thankless job and
everyday I am down here I
lose another friend while
doing my duty as mayor. I
am tired and wea r y and 1
am no longer going to
. devote my full time to this
..office."
He told council he was
going to assign priorities to
the entire council and from
now on let them "carry the
ball.'' He cited major
* priorities as the com
pletion of the downtown
renovation project, the
annual Old Fashioned
Christmas at the
Crossroads celebration
and others in which he has
maintained a leadership
role in the past. He said
over the past 8 years he
has started and completed
many projects for the city
and that he feels those
projects he now has in the
"mill” can and must be
r Take Jade Jewelry
Thieves Hit Perry
Pottery For $25,000
The Perry Pottery was
burglarized sometime
jfc Monday night, with thieves
* completely ransacking one
building, and making off
with a reported $25,000 in
Indian jade jewelry. Ed
Cook called the Police
early Tuesday morning to
report the break-in.
Investigating the
Kl^ j
HH
y Portion Os Crowd At Community Celebration Sunday
(see more coverage on page 2|
f
- '
The Houston Home Journal
Published Every Thursday At Perry, Georgia- - - A Certified Georgia City
PERRY, HOUSTON COUNTY! GA„ THURSDAY JULY 8. 1976
carried out by other
members of council.
The mayor further said
that he will not attend any
more night meetings other
McKinley
than the regular council
meetings twice a month.
He said he would be
at city hall when he was
required to be there to
carry out necessary city
business.
In concluding his
statement to council, the
mayor pledged that he was
not going to resign, that he
was simply going to
become a part time mayor,
as others before him had
been.
Council member react
Councilwoman Barbara
Calhoun told the HHJ
concerning McKinley's
surprise announcement, "I
think James has done a
tremendous job both now
as full time mayor and
burglary initially were
Patrolman Rhuedolph
Adams, and Chief B.E.
Dennard. Joining them
later Tuesday was
Detective Giles Webb.
Tuesday night Chief
Dennard reported that two
apparent thieves climbed
the Pottery fence on the
west side, broke a
plexiglass window, entered
‘Too Many Hours For Thankless Job’
when he was part time
mayor and working at
Robins. He has given his
days, nights and weekends
to the job and he is one of
the most devoted persons
that has ever served at city
hall."
Mrs. Calhoun said she
feels McKinley does not
believe he is getting the
full council support he
needs to carry out the job
he wants to do. She said it
is also difficult to always
get the full council
together for meetings other
than the regular meetings
and that McKinley is the
kind of mayor that does not
want to do anything
without fully informing the
council. Calhoun said the
City, County
Millage Rates
Not Set Yet
Both the Perry City
Council and Houston
County Commission have
thus far not set their
respective property tax
millage rates, even though
both governments' new
fiscal years have already
begun. Tuesday night the
Council made no direct
mention of the millage levy
but did add that budgets
are still being prepared.
the Indian jewelry shop,
and carted off a huge haul.
They then allegedly
walked toward the Pottery
building cut a v-shaped
hole and went through the
fence, walking north on I
-75. Dennard said his men
are checking out leads of a
local nature, but added he
has posted an area wide
alert.
present council Is one of
the most informed in she
city's history because of
McKinley's constant up
datings to the council.
Councilman Draper
Watson stated, "I can see
and understand his
problem with serving in an
office that is mostly
thankless and I don't
blame his making the
decision not to serve full
time but I certainly hate to
see him go. He has done a
really outstanding job and
has taken a great load off
the shoulders of council by
being down here full time.
I just hate to see him leave
full time because it is
certainly going to make a
difference."
Tuesday afternoon the
Commission said it cannot
levy its millage without an
official tax digest, and
further said it needs the
school board millage levy,
which also has not been
set. The commissioners
claimed, "We've done
pretty good and are ahead
of our schedule. This is the
earliest we've gotten this
far." Last year the com
missioners levied their
millage in late July.
One year ago the Perry
City Council levied a 13
mill property tax, and is
reportedly making every
effort to avoid a tax hike
this year.
Last year the County
Commission levied 10 mills
and in this year when three
members face re-election
wars, make no secret of
their attempt to also avoid
a tax millage increase.
They have already adopted
an operating budget of
$4,621,732.66.
That figure was
amended slightly Tuesday
by slight adjustments
granted to several
departments, putting a
contingency fund of
Com. On Page 3
' «.■ jii r\ . Bk
I ' H wjtjip'i?- -tE. • 'V, ft ni jA I S>k^v' ~" r ' * jf®s- '
.j4H ■f - * _/ Jr .
■ ■ ■ **. J!U7- •' | ■• f| £T. <K/
w%S fftA IB perry Sk m
I ’ js§3 BUSINESS WOMENS
JM CLUB ''^^^l-'rSi.
f , .': <?''*’*** Jr * . ’ 'S* to) **M(f#*'«v ,;; | V®* ,- '*
This float depicting pioneer days, won first
place in the June 26, Perry Bicentennial parade
for originality and design. It was constructed by
the Perry Business Womens Club. The first place
prize brought the club S2OO in cash and a blue
Large Group Appears At Meeting
Chamber Appeals
For City Funding
A group of 32 Perry
business and professional
men and women, lead by
Perry Area Chamber of
Commerce president
James N. Geiger, ap
peared before the Perry
Council Tuesday night to
appeal to council to con
tinue to fund the chamber
for services rendered to
the city by the chamber.
The special funding was
set up by city council ten
years ago in an amend
ment to the city charter
that funds the chamber 25
percent of the Georgia
Power Company's annual
tax rebate to the city. The
money is used by the
chamber to promote new
business, industry and
tourism In the city and
many other functions
carried out by the chamber
such as local economic
studies.
The amount of the
Georgia Power money for
this year is slightly over
$22,000 and the chamber
had previously set ’A that
amount in their operating
budget. - The chamber of
commerce has apparently
gotten word that some
members of council were
talking about cutting back
the funds this year because
First Place Float Winner
of a "tight" city budget
and that was their reason
for appearing Tuesday
night.
Geiger told the council,
"This is in no way a
pressure group. We just
want to point out that we
will not be able to continue
to serve ttye city without
needed funds. We want to
continue to work hand and
hand with the city in our
efforts to assure a
growing, progressive city
but right now we need this
city money to carry on."
Geiger pointed out the
chamber has recently
purchased a house on
Washington Street to be
converted into quarters for
the chamber. (The
chamber is presently
located in two offices in
city hall and has been since
1965). He said even with
the city money the
chamber will be
"strained" this year in the
budget.
Malcolm Reese,
president of Security
Federal Savings and a
former mayor and
president of the chamber,
addressed the council
stating, "This money is
and always has been
vitally Important to the
ribbon. Because of an error on the part of The
Home Journal, this float was left out of last week’s
newspaper. The Home Journal is happy to publish
the photo this week and apologizes to the Perry
Business Womens Club, one of Perry’s out
standing civic clubs for women.
chamber as well as the
entire community of
Perry. The chamber has
been a vital force in this
town for a long time and
has helped put a lot of
money into the cash
registers here as well as
provided a lot of jobs
through industrial
development and
development of new
business here. If the city
took over the job the
chamber is now doing
there would be no way it
could be accomplished
with the money the city has
allocated to the chamber In
the past for these many
services. I hope the council
will think long and hard on
this matter."
Bill Gottschalk, a Perry
home builder, told council,
"There is no question that
we must have a viable
chamber such as we have
today. If we are going to
continue to grow and
prosper in Perry we must
have this chamber of
commerce and we need
this money in order to
insure this."
Lewis Meeks, president
of The Bank of Perry and a
former president of the
Perry Chamber, stated to
council, "I do now, and
have always felt very
strongly about the im
portance and leadership of
our chamber and I feel that
the city has greatly
profltted by the chamber's
efforts and leadership. If
we are going to continue to
do all the things we have
always done In the
chamber and to increase
our efforts on behalf of
Perry, we muss have this
money. We also realize
that we are going to have
to seek more money from
our members to carry on
the chamber and we
recognize the challenge
before us. In the mean
time, we must carry out
our present plans and this
money Is vital to our
continued operation."
Marlon Brown, chair
man of the board of
Security Federal Savings
and a director of the
chamber and president of
Perry Veneer Co., stated to
the council, "The chamber
Is contributing to the
development of a stable,
progressive city and it is
contributions more than
cash dollars; it helps the
total community and
benflts all of us. I see this
Cont. On Page 3
A