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Welfare reform thens
Local business leaders ge
gestions on dealing with cnange
See pages 2A. 3A
V'olume 126, No. 20
2 Sections, 20 Pages
Wednesday
May 21, 1997
50 Cents
At the
Crossroads
this week
Busy week ahead at
National Fairgrounds
Crews will be busy at the
Georgia National
Fairgrounds and Agricenter
this week taking care of
needs of several groups uti
lizing the facility.
A Small Business
Procurement Symposium is
on the calendar for May 21.
The Georgia Egg
Commission will host their
14th annual Egg Recipe
Contest May 22.
Members of the Georgia
Numismatic Association
will meet at the Agricenter
May 22-24. A pygmy goat
show will be held May 23-
25.
Members of the Perry
Area Chamber of
Commerce will meet May
28 at 7:30 a.m. for a Good
Morning Perry breakfast.
School Board input
hearings continue
Members of the Houston
County Board of Education
continue their public input
hearings concerning two
matters: the appointing of a
school superintendent for a
period beginning July 1,
1998, and the future direc
tion of the Houston County
School System.
The first meeting was
held May 19 at Northside
High School. Additional
meetings include May 27 at
the Perry High School
Auditorium, May 29 at the
Houston County High
School Auditorium, and
June 2 at the Warner Robins
High School Auditorium.
The hearings open at 7
p.m. and continue for two
hours.
Fish on the menu
Here are menus for
Houston County public
schools for the week:
May 21 Com dog or
fish nuggets with roll, maca
roni and cheese, one veg
etable, two fruits, Jell-O
with whipped topping.
May 22 Nachos with
cheese and beef or barbecue
with Texas toast or bun. Two
vegetables, one fruit, fruit
cobble.
May 23 Steak nuggets
with roll or grilled cheese
sandwich with soup or chili,
two vegetables, two fruits,
manager’s choice desserts.
May 26 Memorial day,
no school.
May 27 Hot dog or
hamburger steak with gravy
and roll, french fries, two
vegetables, two fruits.
May 28 Tacos or
sliced turkey with roll, but
tered rice, one vegetable,
two fruits, Jell-0 with
(See FOOD, Page SA)
Tell Us
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Journal wants to hear from
you. Call (912) 987-1823
during business hours, 8:30
a.m.-5:30 p.m., Monday
through Friday. Fax us any
time at (912) 988-1181.
Visit our office at 807
Carroll Street in historic
downtown Perry. Reach us
on the internet or through E
mail services at
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Houston roes-Journal
Official Legal Organ for Houston County, the City of Perry and the State of Georgia
City wish list may be trimmed during budget talks
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
Perry city finance officials have their
work cut out for them as they decide what
department head budget requests may have
to be slashed to accommodate the upcom
ing budget for FY9B.
During a work session held May 13 at
city hall, council members perused those
requests.
Among them were some $l.B million
requested for the area of law enforcement.
BOE budget
could top
SIOO million
Would be largest Houston
school budget ever
By RICK JOHNSTONE
For the Times-Journal
When the ink has dried on all
the numbers, the Houston County
Board of Education is expected to
be looking at its first budget to
top the SIOO million mark.
System financial comptroller
Annette White has been drawing
up some recommendations to pre
sent to the school board for
approval.
She said the current budget is
about $96 million and revenues to
cover the proposed b percent pay
hike for certified personnel
should push the final figure above
the century mark.
“I know they (the board) are
not looking to increase the mill
age rate; so we will just have to
shift what we have,” said White.
School superintendent Tony
Hinnant said the budget that is in
the works “addresses staffing, but
not technology or facilities” apart
from what was approved by vot
ers in a bond referendum and the
one cent local option sales tax
increase.
“There have been no property
tax increases in my five years (as
superintendent), so it (holding the
line on spending) can be done,”
he added.
He said the board must decide
if it wants to put funding back in
the budget for some art, music,
and physical education positions
dropped in the past year. White
said cost for that would be
between $600,000-$700,000.
One factor complicating the
short term budget picture, accord
ing to White, is the loss of an esti
mated $1.2 million from motor
vehicle taxes as a result of the
switch in purchasing of those tags
and decals that the state is imple
menting.
White explained that since not
as many students arrived into the
system as anticipated in Robins
Air Force Base projections this
year, not all of the $96 million in
the FY97 budget will be used.
“That will make up for the
motor vehicle tax loss," she said,
“but we still want to have some
money in our reserve funds.”
Hinnant said the 6 percent pay
hike recommended by the gover
nor for certified personnel is not
mandated but such hikes have
been approved in the past by the
local school board.
White said the state is expect
ed to allocate around $3.1 million
(See SCHOOLS, Page SA)
Relay for Life raises more than $20,000 for cancer research
Special to the Times-Journal
“With nine participating teams generat
ing tremendous enthusiasm, this year’s
Relay was very successful,” said Relay for
Life organizer Larry Harvey.
The May 16 and 17 event to raise money
for cancer research garnered contributions
of $20,000, he said. That exceeded the goal
of SI6,(KM), said Harvey.
Winners of different activities were: Best
I heroes
thletes receive hon
ors during banquet
see page 6A
That includes capital outlay projects
amounting to $130,785. In the area of capi
tal outlay is $85,000 for new vehicles.
Also in that budget request is SIO,OOO to
rebuild the city dog pound.
Requested monies for the streets and
bridges department comes in at a figure of
$1.5 million.
Public Works Director Hugh Sharp said
some goals for that department for FY9B
include a “fix for sewer overflow problems
in the Cambridge Drive area and to success
State leaders in spring sports
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Times-Journal Photo by Erie Zellars
BEST IN THE LAND Westfield Athletic Director Ronnie Jones (center) presents Georgia Independent
Schools Association awards to Ben Hulbert (left) and Mary Katherine Walker (right) for their performances
in sports and the classroom which resulted in GISA statewide recognition. The awards were presented May
19 during the annual Westfield Spring Sports banquet. For details, see page 6A)
Perry man arrested, charged with
stealing his own car, stereo equipment
From Staff Reports
Perry authorities have arrested 24-year-old
Maurice Collier, of 102 Bryant Drive, on charges of
theft by taking and interference with government
property.
Collier’s vehicle, a 1980 Oldsmobile, had recently
been impounded when officers arrested the subject
on drug-related charges.
Apparently, after Collier bailed out of jail, he
planned to retrieve the vehicle and stereo equipment
inside the car that had been taken for storage at the
city barn, located along Tucker Road.
Perry needs handicapped playground equipment
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
According to the American With Disabilities orga
nization and a national safety group, the City of Perry
needs to jump on the merry-go-round of providing
proper playground equipment for use by handicapped
children.
Thirty thousand dollars of new playground equip
ment that would be installed at the Creekwood, Rozar
and Calhoun parks is included in the recreation
department budget request for FY9B.
“The current playground equipment does not meet
Americans with Disabilities Act standards not nation
al safety standards,” points out Recreation Director
Tom Morris in a recent report. “Most equipment
needs to be removed.”
“I have been told a lot of playground equipment is
too old and a lot of it was purchased outside the
approval range of the ADA,” commented Perry City
Manager Skip Nalley May 19.
The purchase of the present equipment occurred
Camp Site Bank of Perry, Ist place;
Hayneville Baptist and Perry Elementary,
lie for 2nd place; Perry Hospital, 3rd place.
Most Spirited Team Hayneville
Baptist, I st; Northrop, Bank of Perry and
Perry Elementary, tie for 2nd.
Team Captain Spirit Award
Hayneville Baptist, Ist; Bank of Perry, 2nd;
Perry High School and Perry. Exchange
Club, lie for 3rd.
Serving Houston County since Pec. 17, 1870
#
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fully privatize commercial garbage pickup.
He is also looking at updating the city
fuel distribution system into comply with
federal regulations.
Capital outlay requests include a knuck
le boom loader with truck body and a front
deck mower.
Amount requested for city administra
tive costs comes in at $488,350.
Fire control department requests include
a total expenditure amount of $611.630.
There is a request for three new fire-
According to Capt. Mickey Barfield, head of the
detective division, the car was found abandoned
along Kings Chapel Road May 13.
All stereo equipment had been taken from the
vehicle.
A subsequent investigation resulted in the arrest of
Collier, he said.
During the arrest. Collier attempted to flee author
ities. No one was injured in that incident, said
Barfield.
Collier is being held at the county jail.
"The current play
ground equipment does
not meet Americans
with Disabilities Act
standards not national
safety standards."
Tom Morris
over the last 10 years, he said.
This year’s budget request for the recreation
department is up a considerable amount from the
amount used for FY96.
FY96 numbers came in at $352,690. Requested
FY9B comes in at $547.110.
Morris said a large part of the increase comes as a
result of capital outlay requests, including anew ball
field, soccer goals and picnic tables.
See relay pic
tures, page 3B
In the category for Most
Money collected by One
Person Sue Fleming. Ist
place: Shelia Todd, 2nd
RELAY*
fl :
|S< 4 ‘ i
iWs
place and Gloria Sikes, 3rd place.
Memorial Day service
American Legion, vfw posts plan May 26
event at Memorial Gardens
see page 1B
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MORRIS
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Home of the Georgia National
Fair and Agricenter
fighter positions in that.
Other total expenditure requests are:
• Planning Commission 5170,000
• Sanitation 5721,000
• Library 529,141
• Rec Department 5547.110
• Clean and Beautiful Commission
$14,670
• Airport 546,598
• Water Fund sl.7 million
• Field Water sl million
• Wastewater 5491.310
Higher health
fees could send
fair food vendors
elsewhere
By EMILY JOHNSTONE
Times-Journal Staff
An increase in the cost of ser
vices provided by the Houston
County Health Department has
Georgia National Fair Executive
Director Mike Froehlich con
cerned that the increase may
cause Fair food vendors to take
their wares elsewhere.
In a letter sent by Froehlich to
Bill Carter, administrator for
environmental health, Froehlich
stated the new food service per
mit fee of $ 120 is the highest of
fairs surveyed and points out that
this is an increase of 480 percent
over last year’s cost of $25.
“Our patrons tell us that food
is one of their main reasons they
attend our Fair,” said Froehlich.
“Food vendors look at event
costs when they decide which
Fairs to attend.”
The director requested the
health board and county commis
sioners consider reducing the fee
to a suggested figure of $25 to
SSO.
A reply letter from health
board chairman David Harvey,
M.D. tells Froehlich the fee
structure for such services was
approved last fall and received
approval from county commis
sioners.
Harvey states the reason for
the increases include restrictions
placed on health department
funding by the county tax cap
and the effect of managed health
care on “all aspects of communi
ty health.”
“Our reimbursement sources
for public health services are
changing and state and federal
funding is being reduced. At the
same time Houston County has
been experiencing significant
population growth,” stated
Harvey.
Carter agreed during a recent
telephone interview, saying fees
have been increased across the
board, not just for food vendors.
Houston County Commission
Chairman J. Sherrill Stafford also
responded to the concerns voiced
by Froehlich. “I am very sympa
thetic to Mike and we want to
respond,” he said.
He has heard from organizers
of the Houston County Regional
Youth Fair in Warner Robins,
who share the same concerns as
Froehlich, Stafford added.
Stafford said he expects com
missioners to review Froehlich’s
request during an upcoming
(See COST, Page SA)
Most Money By Team Bank of Perry,
I st; Northrop, 2nd; Perry High, 3rd place.
“Several individuals and teams are
already discussing and making plans for the
1998 Relay to make it even bigger and bet
ter!” said Harvey.
“I would like to offer my sincere grati
tude and thanks to each individual who con
tributed and /or participated made our 1997
event the success it was." he said.