Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2A
Council approves sls
million for upcoming
year
Perry City Council members
OK’d a budget for FY2OOI - with
out a change proposed by Coun
cilman Billy Jerles.
Jerles said he is concerned
with rising budget requests from
the Perry Recreation Depart
ment and proposed slicing about
$72,000 off the request of
$482,800.
The city could look at making
up the difference partly by offer
ing recreation services to Perry
residents primarily, then to
county residents depending on
whether funds were available,
he said.
Jerles said the budget for the
recreation department has in
creased 1/3 in the past couple of
years.
Jerles pointed out that the
county does not help fund the
department but that county resi
dents utilize it.
“Let their (county commission)
constituents go and ask for rec
reation,” he said.
However, his move was voted
down 3-1 with Bobby Glover,
Phyllis Grace and Ralph Gentry
casting “no” votes.
Council did agree to discuss
the matter in the near future
with county commissioners.
Water use ban
rules clarified
What does the state mandated
watering ban really amount to?
There’s plenty of speculation and
confusion.
Here, according to what David
Word, assistant director of the
Georgia Environmental Protec
tion Division, told The Atlanta
Constitution:
* You can’t use a pressure
washer on your home. If you hire
someone he can.
* Auto dealers can’t have one
of their employees hand wash a
vehicle. However, if they hire
someone that person can.
* Golf courses can water
greens but they are going to have
to let the fairways dry up.
* If you have a well, lake or
stream you can use water from
them at any time.
* Landscapers can water your
shrubbery and grass when in
stalling them, but not after they
finish.
Here are some interesting ex
emptions to the water ban:
* Construction sites are ex
empt.
* Commercial car washers (as
well as scout, school and church
fund-raisers) are exempt.
* Commercial nurseries and
landscapers are exempt on their
property and also on a
customer’s property for initial
planting while personnel from
the landscaper is on the
customer’s property.
* Commercial power washing
is exempt.
* Commercial hydro seeding is
exempt.
* Commercial testing and a
repair of irrigation systems are
exempt. This includes initial
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testing and testing for repairs
while irrigation personnel are on
the property.
Perry March of Dimes
Walk America
luncheon
A luncheon will be held June
29, 2000, at noon at the Perry
Hospital Medical Library to kick
of f the March of Dimes Perry
Walk America 2000.
If you would like to participate
in this event, please call the
March of Dimes office at 743-
9165.
Poultry houses and
farm irrigation
exempt from sales
tax
A bill signed by Gov. Roy
Barnes states sales tax is exempt
for electricity used in poultry
houses and farm crop irrigation.
House Bill 1236 clarifies and
expands the earlier law spon
sored by the Georgia Poultry
Federation that provided sales
tax exemption on propane and
other fuel used to heat poultry
houses. House Bill 82 provides
sales tax relief for the operation
of an irrigation system used ex
clusively for farm crops.
According to Flint Energies
officials, their customers who are
effected are eligible for sales tax
exemption July 1. All energy sold
prior to July 1 will require sales
tax.
Perry library hosts
puppet show
The Perry library invites the
public to bring in their children
to attend a puppet show on July
6th at 10:30 a.m. This is a cor
rection of the previously printed
July 16th show. As a part of the
library’s Summer reading pro
gram library pages will perform
for the children.
Enhancement 2000
Parents’ Night
The Houston County School
System Enhancement 2000 fac
ulty and staff will host a Parents’
Night on Thursday, June 22, at
Bonaire Middle School at 6:30
p.m.
During the open house, par
ents are invited to visit their
children’s first period class from
6:30 until 6:50 p.m., and the sec
ond period class from 6:50 p.m.
until 7:10 p.m. At 7:10 p.m., the
chorus and drama students will
perform the musical Annie in the
lunchroom.
The purpose of the summer
Enhancement program is to pro
vide exciting ways for gifted chil
dren who are in the fourth, fifth
or sixth grade to participate in
enriching educational experi
ences. Students take two classes
from a wide variety of choices,
including archaeology, rocketry,
oceanography, chemistry, sign
language, archery, biology,
dance, sculpture, Spanish, golf,
tennis and TV broadcasting.
For more information, contact
tDfg Houston Home journal
Ms. Barbara Finely, coordinator
of the FOCUS program, at
Bonaire Middle School at 929-
6235.
Downtown
Development
Authority meets
The Downtown Development
Authority met June 13 at Perry
City Hall.
During the meeting:
• Director Kim Mullins moved
to establish a 50lc (3) non-profit
cooperation for historic preserva
tion and education in the City of
Perry. Director Pearlie Dixon
seconded the motion and it car
ried unanimously.
• Vicki Calfee, with Business
Outreach Services, discussed
marketing the downtown area.
• The group discussed options
with Better Home Town and
Mainstreet programs.
• Reviewed current budget al
location of $20,600 from the City.
• Reviewed site plan of pro
posed structure at Ball Street
and Northside Drive submitted
by Landmark Realty of Perry.
The group’s next meeting will
be held June 28.
Director of Office of
Education
Accountability named
House Minority Leader Bob
Irvin(r-Fulton) called on Gov.
Barnes to appoint “the best per
son nationwide” to the new' po
sition of Director of the Office of
Educational Accountability. In a
letter to Barnes, Irvin said the
#
appointment will be the most
important decision! the Gover
nor) has to make” as a result of
the passage of the education re
form bill this year.
The newly-created OEA will
monitor the performance of in
dividual schools, has the power
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to conduct audits and reconsti
tuting failing schools. It was a
controversial subject during the
legislative debate, the Governor
insisted that he appoint the di
rector, so the office would be in
dependent of the State Depart
ment of Education. Republicans
sought unsuccessfully to amend
the bill to also make it indepen
dent of the Governor’s office.
Irvin said that the office’s first
director must be “self-evidently
an expert in education, nobody’s
crony, and non-political to a
fault,” even suggesting that he
or she promise not to run for of
fice. As a model for selecting this
key official, Irvin pointed to the
process by which Steve Portch
was recruited from Wisconsin
several years ago to head up
Georgia’s University System.
Along with many other Repub
licans, Irvin voted for the edu
cation reform bill, though not
without concerns. “Right now,”
he said, “my chief concern is that
this office, the OEA, which is the
key to the whole structure, get
off to the right start. That all
depends on who the first direc
tor is. He or she will set the tone
and give it credibility as a trust
worthy, constructive, nonpoliti
cal organization— or, if the
Governor’s choice is a poor one,
the opposite will unfortunately
happen.”
Irvin added that many of the
Governor’s key appointees have
been disappointing. “In many
cases, they have been either cro
nies, or people with a political ax
to grind, or both.”
Police investigate
string of entering
autos
Perry Police Lt. Heath Dykes
has some advice for citizens: be
sure to secure your vehicles.
That comes following reports
of 11 entering autos in the
HOUSTON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
TENTATIVE BUDGET
For the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2000 through June 30, 2001
estimated RECBPTB General Fund Debt Service Fund Capital Projects Fund
Ad Valorem Taxes 822,850,000
Local Option Bales Tax 12,881,810 814,065,000
Other Local Receipts 2,112,000 1,250,000 825,000
State QBE Funds 88,418,888
Other State Funds 480,000 583,844
Federal Funds 800,000
other Bources 187,000 841,815 414,287
TOTAL RECOPTB 8127,538,876 818,148,815 81,032,811
EBTMATED EXPENDITURES
instruction 888,734853
Pupil Services 3,148,773
Instructional Staff Services 5,128,856
Media Services 3,251.582
General Administration 452,898
School Administration 8,259,837
Business Services 1,068,801
Maintenance and Operations 10884,813
Student Tranportation 3,301,255
Centra Support Services 1,384,852
Capital Expenditures 758,000
Transfers to Other Funds 1,181,815
Other Uses 3,844 84,886,008 82,186,508
TOTAL EXPOWTUREB 8127,542,877 84,885,808 82.186,508
Excess of Revenues over/under
Expenditures -8,001 11,481,007 -1,182,886
Fund Balance, Beshininp of Year 82,448,427 828282,351 81.182,886
Fund Balance, End of Year 8L44L428 837.783858 Q
The above budget was tentatively adopted by the Houston County Board ol Education on June 12. 2000. The budget will be adopted in its final form in a called
meeting on Monday. June 20. 2000. to be held at the Board of Education Central Office. 1100 Mam Street. Perry. Georgia, at 6:00 PM
Northside Road and Tucker
Road areas in a four-day period.
Dykes said the incidents,
which included a 1999 Ford
truck stolen from a Northside
Road residence, began June 15.
Items taken from unlocked
vehicles included a laptap com
puter, pocketbooks, cell phones
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“I hope people will remember
not to leave pocketbooks and ex
pensive items in plain view and
lock their vehicles,” said Dykes.
Anyone seeing suspicious ac
tivity in their neighborhood
should call 911 immediately, he
said.