Photo Credits: Sandra Hernandez/HHJ Staff Writer.
PERRY – Tuesday night was filled with celebration as Mayor Randall Walker and council hosted employee years of service awards at Perry City Council’s meeting April 9.
The award recognizes employees who have worked for the city for five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years. It recognizes employees from all departments; 19 employees were honored during the council meeting.
“It’s really satisfying to be here and look at the number of employees that we have, that are committed to the citizens of the city of Perry and the outstanding work that each and every one of you do every day here in the city of Perry. People ask me constantly about what makes Perry so wonderful, what makes it so good, and I said, ‘If you knew our staff, you would understand what our secret sauce is,’” said Walker.
Moving on to earlier in the council meeting, there were many proclamations presented Tuesday night.
One of the proclamations was recognizing the Perry High School Theater Group as Southeastern Theater Conference National Champions.
The group performed the play “BOOKBINDER” and won best play at the Georgia Theater Conference in Oct. 2023. Recently, they also competed at the Southeastern Theater Conference and competed against 17 state level champion productions. The department was named SETC secondary champions and best play on March 16.
Mayor Walker presented the group with the proclamation and recognized their achievements.
The next proclamation recognized April as Fair Housing Month. April 11 marked the 56th anniversary of the passing of the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status and national origin.
Mayor Walker presented the proclamation and declared the city’s commitment to the act’s mission and equal housing opportunities for all.
The city also recognized the month of April as Safe Digging Month. The proclamation states thousands of times each year, underground infrastructure in the state is damaged by those who do not have underground lines located prior to digging. This leads to service interruptions, environmental damage and threat to public safety.
The proclamation encourages people to call 811 to get in contact with utility operators to request the location of underground lines and prevent damage to underground utilities.
Moving on to the final proclamation, the proclamation recognizes April 21 to 27 as Georgia Cities week. The week recognizes the role city government plays in the lives of its citizens and encourages them to influence their governments.
To read all the proclamations visit the ESCRIBE packet.
Going back to pre-council meeting, homeowner Alisa Neaves spoke about drainage concerns at her home. She said she first spoke about it last year, and since then, she said she has dealt with a lot of harassment.
Neaves mentioned three police officers came to her residence, saying there was no reason for them to be present.
She also said the drainage concern was never handled by the city. Neaves added she has contacted other engineers who have inspected the area and submitted it to city officials.
She asks the city for something to be done and for the harassment to stop.
Houston County NAACP President Jonathan Johnson was also present with Neaves. He said her builder looked into her home’s issue and did repairs, but an engineer told her repairs were not up to code.
Johnson describes the citizen’s backyard as a pond due to the amount of flooding. He said he believes Neaves has been mistreated and discriminated against.
“We are going to go after each and every department that failed her, until we get the results that satisfy her on what’s going on with that property,” Johnson said.
Moving on to the regular council meeting, Community Planner Emily Carson requested use of Hafley Park for a summer pop-up market, which was approved unanimously.
At the previous meeting, Carson shared the market will provide fresh produce within walking distance. This time, she requested the market take place through the summer.
The market will take place monthly on the last Friday from June until August from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Carson said vendors interested in participating will be encouraged to sign up for at least a monthly spot at the downtown farmer’s market.
To view the list of secured vendors, visit the ESCRIBE packet.
Later in the meeting, Police Chief Alan Everidge presented a resolution involving PM AM Corporation Crime Disruptor software agreement, also approved unanimously.
Everidge said the computer software will help them track and prevent crime. According to council documents, the software uses artificial intelligence to help predict where crimes will likely occur.
He said they have worked on various technological advancements and will continue to use technology to provide the best services possible. The software will be paid for by the crime suppression grant.
Everidge also presented another resolution involving a city park camera plan. He said in the past the city has started placing cameras in their parks, which has helped apprehend suspects.
As part of the crime reduction grant, Everidge said they have requested the state’s consideration of placing cameras in multiple parks to deter people from damaging or committing crimes in the areas and apprehending suspects.
The plan was approved unanimously during the council meeting.
Moving on to the next item on the agenda, Communications Manager Tabitha Clark presented a contract by Southern Sky Fireworks to provide 20-minute fireworks display during the city’s Independence Day celebration.
Clark said the Economic Development Department and Downtown Manager have already made businesses in the potential fallout zone aware of the event.
She also shared there will be discussions involving safety procedures and requirements and additional meetings will be held closer to the event.
Mayor and council approved the contract unanimously.
Later in the meeting, Leisure Services Director Curtis Coates reminded the mayor and council that the department will host their annual Fishing Rodeo this Saturday, April 20 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Fire Chief Lee Parker also spoke to the mayor and council about the department’s new outreach initiative. The Junior Fire Academy will be a five-day camp taught by the fire department to educate upcoming seventh and eighth graders about a firefighter’s career.
Parker said they are planning to do the camp from June 10 to 14 from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. He said they will take up to 20 students and parents can start signing up. The application will be available online.
Mayor and council approved the camp unanimously.
Everidge reminded mayor and council about their Beyond the Badge event Thursday, April 18 at Oldfield Park. Everidge said it gives the department an opportunity to engage with residents and for them to talk about any issues in their area.
Director of Human Resources Jenny Burdeshaw spoke to mayor and council about a job position available. The seasonal part-time position will involve operating the splash pad and encourage mayor, council and the audience to spread the word.
The city will host a special called meeting April 30 starting at 5 p.m, which will be a strategic planning session. It will take place at the city hall council chambers.
Mayor and council will meet again for their pre-council starting at 5 p.m. and regular council meeting at 6 p.m. on May 7. Everyone is invited to attend these meetings and the agenda can found online.
