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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL THURS., JULY 21, I*7*.
* r ‘ At Special Council Meeting t
City Tax Rate Again Set At
13 Mills; Budget Adopted
*
. Mating last Wednesday
" aftdrboon in special
sestfdn, the Perry City
passed the 1976-77
dttjfcpdgel, set tax mlilage
at and disagreed
Verjfr Strongly over the
yallp of the Perry
Ctufl||ber ot Commerce.
FiaSHy approved was a
bus®to totalling 52.385.170;
tax jjSjilage of 13 mills, the
sanftr'as a year ago; and
«
■■ Cont. from front page.
(; Sewage Expansion...
<v
(-■'
federal grant will pay 75
percent of cost of a million
gallon expansion of sewage
Itreatment1 treatment facilities. As
stated, the 2,000,000 total
II capacity plant (which at
present is one million) will
n tost in the neighborhood of
|BOO 850,000. The city's
Share of this would be
| about $220,000
; If the Council decides
instead to expand to a
/ three million gallons a day
I
t Six Ferry Streets
c
i City Paving Approved
c
0 Perry City Council,
Ij meeting In one of its
T shortest sessions in recent
p Tuesday night
U letting of bids to
Save six city streets with
lant mix. The streets
j include all or part of
I Halliburton, Perry
Avenue, Houston Street,
0 Whipple, Rosenwald, and
o Howard Streets.
* ’The paving will be done
V o|i a one third one third
” ofce third basis, with the
J* a-operty owners on either
side ot the streets each
paying one third, and the
j dlty paying the remaining
1 tßird. The city's portion
111 come from a $45,000
Development
t grant received last
cal year
n other activity the
uncil approved payment
its share of funding to
» Perry Fort Valley
'port, in the amount of
480 Sharing in funding
♦he airport with Perry
\ afe Peach County, Houston
I Cljunty, and Fort Valley
j |A package beer and wine
I ((tense was issued, after
I fie second reading, to Eva
Hpltzclaw tor the Suwanee
sLifty store on US. 41
Siuth. She is the new
F nfenager of the store
p >\T>eer consumption on
i I * _____
C i - m iMiir
11 ■ ■ I -.. ~, V
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► - ■ ..'-* ..«,».. "v j^hnvssniPAaiMni^^^
Workmen are midway in contraction and renovation on a building to be
(feed by the Midstate Meat Company. The building is located between George
(. Nunn and Son, and Tolleson Lumber. Watching the work are co-owner
Eamar DeLoach (C) and contractor Joe Goodroe (R). Not pictured is co-
G mvner A.J. Bennett. The construction pictured is just one of several buildings
4 [her recently finished or now underway, as the construction trade in Perry
seems to be picking up.
funding of $15,000 for the
Chamber, $7,000 lower
than was requested.
A special meeting
Tuesday night of last week
cleared all budget areas
with the exception of the
Chamber, which since 1966
has received funding from
the city. Wednesday af
ternoon, Councilman
Draper Watson moved to
capacity, another $l5O
- would be needed,
all funded locally. So a two
million gallon expansion
will cost the city about
$350,000, if Richardson's
estimates are correct.
Mayor James McKinley
stated, "When the present
plant was completed in
1965, we thought we were
in Utopia Ten years later
we must add on."
Richardson added that in
the premises and package
sales license was ap
proved, after a second
reading, for Ware Crowell
{ . * vs
Midstate Meat
Company Sets
Opening Soon
Perry's newest business,
the Midstate Meat Com
pany, will open for
customers in early August.
Owners A J. Bennett and
Lamar DeLoach will offer
custom killing, cutting
and wrapping of meats,
both wholesale and retail
The enterprise will be
located behind the old
Perry train depot between
George C Nunn & Son and
Tolleson Lumber Com
pany. The phone number of
♦he company is 987 5625.
Co owner Lamar
DeLoach said that any and
PAGE 2-A
set a $20,000 budget
allocation for the Cham
ber, but this motion was
defeated in a tense 4-3 vote
(See another HHJ article).
A few minutes later
Councilman H.E. "Gene"
Smith introduced a motion
to set at $15,000 the funding
for the Chamber, and after
considerable discussion
this motion passed 4-2. The
1965 the city manufactured
but 400,000 gallons a day of
sewage, about a fourth of
present levels.
He replied, in response
to an HHJ reporter's
question, "Yes, the city
must do something to
comply with stream
standards. There could be
a court injuction filed (by
the state or E.P.A.) if
compliances are not
made!"
Callaway for the BBQ King
Restaurant near the in
tersection of 1-75 and
Marshallville Road.
all kinds of meat and
seafood will be offered.
Midstate Meat expects to
employ about fifteen
persons at first in their
6,000 square foot building.
Among features will be a
"patty machine" which
DeLoach said is not
usually found in such
companies. He added that
the company will also buy
cattle and hogs from area
ranchers.
More details of the
company, and exact
opening date, will be an
nounced at a later time
Mayor, James McKinley,
was then authorized to sign
a contract with the
Chamber, stipulating the
fee.
The remainder of the
meeting was devoted to
setting millage at 13 mills.
For the past four years the
tax millage has been 13
mills, with the total city
budget rising from
$1,813,863 in 1973-74 to its
new high for the current
fiscal year.
That 13 mills will, if
projections are accurate,
produce $415,000 of the two
million dollars plus ex
pected revenue. Other
major income producers
are: vehicle tax- $48,000;
public utility tax- $90,000;
business licenses $72,000;
beer tax- $105,000, fines
s92,ooo; federal grants
sl49,Boo; garbage billing
sl43,ooo; water billing
s22o,ooo; sanitation
slos,ooo; and gas billing
ssss,ooo.
The breakdown of the
budget, by department,
over the past four fiscal
years, can be seen in the
accompanying chart.
As can be noted, for the
past two years, no funding
has been made for the 1962
general obligation bond
sinking fund. The reason is
that no sinking fund
payments are necessary
until 1982, due to several
years' overpayments in
the late 1960's and early
1970'5.
Last Wednesday night.
Councilman Ralph Gentry
noted the small recreation
budget. He suggested that
if the department "runs
short, perhaps we can add
$2-3,000 more."
Finance committee
chairman Draper Watson
observed that the major
cuts in the recreation
budget came in decision to
fund only a part-time
director, rather than the
fulltime director suggested
by the recreation com
mission. He said the idea of
mini-parks in several
neighborhoods that was
proposed last year hasn't
been realized yet because
"no interest has been
acquired in buying
property".
A few moments later,
once the budgets and tax
millage had passed,
Gentry brought up another
subject- purchase of
lawnmowers for the city.
One leased mower was
turned back to a
manufacturer upon ex
piration of the lease
program.
Gentry moved to pur
chase a five foot swath
model at $395, a six foot
swath model at $685, and a
sixty-inch blade model for
use on roadsides for $2,975.
After discussion his motion
passed unanimously, with
the exception of an ab
stention by Gene Smith.
More or Less
Showing decreases in
total budgets approved,
comparing this fiscal year
with 1975-76, are:
Government Building,
downsll,3ls; the Chamber
of Commerce, down about
a thousand dollars;
Recreation, down $9,075;
Sanitation, down $56,232;
and Sewage Treatment,
down $5,549. All other
departments show ap
parent Increases in their
budgets.
The primary reason for
the decrease in the
Governmental Building
budget is because of the
completion of an item of
$12,000 listed last year as
"renovation utilities and
bookkeeping."
The Recreation budget
last year was $24,460,
considerably more than
this year's approved
amount of $15,385. S4OO was
chopped off a lifeguard's
salary amount; S6OO off
concession equipment;
$250 off trophies
allocations; the $4,000
allocated for a State street
mini-park; $2,160 off
baseball field lighting;
$3,000 for asphalting tennis
courts; and lesser amounts
elsewhere.
The tennis courts at
Tucker Road water tank
and at Creekwood are
virtually complete, but
$4,500 was allocated for
further improvements
hopefully including
lighting.
The huge cut in the
Sanitation department is
primarily due to reduction
from $65,000 in equipment
last year to just $19,000 this
time But salaries and
related items were also
reduced by about ten
thousand dollars total.
The Sewage Treatment
plant slash is primarily in
the area of professional
services, whose allocation
was cut from $26,000 to
$15,000.
♦
Gas Gets Big Hike
City Departments Show
Some Budget Increases
The 1976-77 City of Perry
general operating budget
of $2,385,170 is an increase
of $144,270 over last fiscal
year's approved budget.
Although the majority of
city departmental budgets
showed increases, the
largest hike by far was in
the Gas department,
primarily due to a hefty
increase for purchasing
natural gas.
Last year, the approved
Gas budget was $594,916.
This year the approved
budget zoomed to $714,780,
a hike of $120,864. Amount
set aside for natural gas
purchases went from
$320,000 last year to
$440,000 this year.
To be sure allocation for
propane gas purchases fell
from SBO,OOO to just $15,000.
Also increased though
were salaries: from $46,000
to $71,000; $25,000 for gas
line improvements; $9,500
capital outlay; and
numerous areas from
postage to insurance.
(Watch for a more com
plete analysis of the gas
picture in an upcoming
Home Journal issue.)
It might be added that
according to city
projections, the gas
department will bring in
$733,370 in revenue, thus
showing a paper profit of
about nineteen thousand
dollars.
Another city department
significantly increased
was the Police. Last year's
approved budget was
$296,260, and this year the
budget increased to
$322,943. The major item
increased was salaries,
from $210,000 a year ago to
$242,580 this year. Four
more patrolmen will be
hired, as indicated in last
week's HHJ.
Included in the Police
budget is the dogcatcher's
salary and S7OO for
dogfood. $12,000 to pur
chase new autos was also
included, but not listed
under line items was any
sum for the Houston-Peach
Drug Squad. ($2,600 was
listed last year.)
The "Field Water"
department budget in
creased by $12,000 to
$236,736 for this fiscal year.
The vast majority of this
department's allocation
goes for two water bond
sinking funds- $83,940 and
$84,420, or a total of
$168,360. These amounts
are the same as last year.
The increase is in
salaries- about $1,000;
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Perryan Tres Sinyard heads his horse around a barrel, preparing for the
Perry Saddle Club’s “Heart of Georgia Association Point Show ”, scheduled
for this Saturday July 24, at 3:00 p. m. The horse show will be held at the Perry
Saddle Club Arena, on Arena Road offU.S. 341 South on the Pitzer farm. There
will be 38 classes- both pleasure and racing events. No admission will be
charged and the public is invited. Concessions will be available.
improvements- about
$2,000; replacement of
Lawson Street water main
increased from SB,OOO a
year ago to SIO,OOO this
year; computer services
sßoo increase; and $7,500
for operating supplies,
compared to $3,750 last
year.
The other two depart
ments showing large in
creases were the Streets
department and Water
Plants budget. The Streets
budget increased from
$336,150 to $346,082; and
the Water Plants budget
was hiked from $88,345 to
The Budgets For Four Years
1973-74 1974-75 1975-76 1976-77
ADMINISTRATIVE $ 66,135 $ 52,147 $ 84,640 $ 85,950
AIRPORT $ 22,000 $ 2,400 $ 2,600 $ 3,480 „
BEAUTIFICATION $ 4,018 $ 5,020
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE $ 12,000 $ 15,000 $ 15,000
CONTINGENCY $ 11,516 $ 38,856 $ 47,644
EXECUTIVE $ 8,420 $ 8,085 $ 8,010 $ 8,280
FIELD SEWER $ 29,555 $ 29,670
FIELD WATER $ 79,596 $ 63,080 $224,930 $236,736
FIRE $ 81,868 $ 81,070 $ 92,015 $ 94,475
GAS $569,267 $622,429 $594,916 $714,780 ,»
GOVERNMENT BLDG. $ 17,510 $ 26,518 $ 29,865 $ 18,550
JUDICIAL $ 1,800 $ 1,800 $ 1,800 $ 2,180
LEGISLATIVE $ 16,595 $ 20,853 $ 22,470 $ 25,760
LIBRARY $ 34,300 $ 34,800 $ 35,700 $ 36,590
PARKS & CEMETERIES $ 3,550 $ 2,965 $ 415 $ 1,625
PLANNING AND ZONING $ 18,415 $ 33,987 $ 18,250 $ 22,536
POLICE $234,104 $259,121 $296,260 $322,943
RECREATION $ 7,800 $ 15,270 $ 24,460 $ 15,385 ,
SANITATION $137,700 $166,513 $226,425 $170,193
SEWAGE TREATMENT $ 76 , 820 $ 7U71
STREETS $239,900 $242,375 $336,150 $346,082
WATER PLANTS $ 88,345 $106,420
WATER-SEWAGE TREATMENT $260,093 $297,709
SINKING FUNDS $ 33,000 $ 3 3f000
'
COMMUNITY PROMOTIONS 5 2,900 $ 4(525
(EXECUTIVE)
TOTAL
$106,420.
The Streets budget
showed its increase due to
several areas, but salaries
was not among the in
creases, instead declining
from $102,000 to $85,000.
$30,400 was allocated for
tractor purchases, but
"street lights" was cut
from 40 to 35 thousand
dollars.
The Valley Drive
resurfacing allocation was
cut from 30 to 20 thousand
dollars; and paving from
40 to 35 thousand. The
increases came with $5,000
for sidewalks, $8,400 for
land acquisition, and
$45,000 for "utilities".
The Water Plants budget
l' ' I
increase came via $6,000 in
salaries, $6,000 more in
utilities, and smaller
amounts in other areas.
The 1975 76 figures were
amounts budgeted a year
ago, and in most cases is
not the amount spent in
each department. Some
departmental ex
penditures exceeded
budgets, some were less.
This will undoubtedly
occur again this year, due
to emergencies.