2022 — A year in review: Perry: ‘Where Georgia comes together’

PERRY, Ga. — Following 2022 and what many would consider a productive year for the City of Perry, The Journal spoke with Mayor Walker on reflections from the previous 12 months and what to expect in 2023.

“I think we had an excellent year; there’s no question about that,” Walker said. “A large number of things got finished, and a large number of things were started that will go on for the next couple of years. So, we’re very pleased about that.”

Two Centuries of Perry

Walker said that the city is coming up on a significant year in its history, and his fellow staff will be taking 2023 to prepare for Perry’s 200th birthday to take place during 2024. This will include some broad collaboration between city employees and the Perry Area Historical Society to educate residents and visitors on the historical relevancy of the milestone.

“We’re trying to incorporate the birthday in every function we have in one way or another,” Walker said. “That could be educational, that could be fun, that could be historical.”

Major Projects

Along with an elevated water tank to be installed near I-75, other major projects include the completion of the new city hall and municipal court in Downtown Perry. Walker said residents could expect those to complete in the second half of the year.

Workforce Development

While collaborating with local organizations, including the airbase in Warner Robins, the mayor said he would like to see Perry become a technology hub in the future.

“That would be one of my aspirations, that we would become a center of excellence for software development and support,” Walker added. “That’s in support of Robins Air Force Base, being the center of excellence there for software development. We’d like to support Robins Air Force Base and their mission, but have the people working here in Perry supporting that.”

Handling Homelessness

Following the efforts in Warner Robins to open a warming center at a local church benefitting those without homes, Walker said collaborations are underway between Perry and other municipalities countywide.

“We’re working in conjunction with the group that [Warner Robins] Mayor Patrick has put together,” Walker said. “She has brought together about 60 people from various organizations and municipalities to look at how to solve the problem.

“We’re trying to do it together, rather than trying to do it separate. Instead of having three or four initiatives in the county, she’s got one initiative moving forward to help solve that problem.”

Development Standards

The mayor said that what isn’t broken doesn’t need to be fixed, and Perry would continue to uphold their development standards according to their strategic plan.

He did mention one recent change regarding the city’s fee structure surrounding building costs.

“We went from a value-based cost structure to one where we recover the actual cost to do the inspections,” Walker said.

Removing Property Blight

Among other areas of discussion, the city recently held a meeting with residents of the Oldfield neighborhood in regards to Community Development Block Grant funds, and how the city would potentially make use of those to support that area of the city.

“During 2022, we removed 10 blighted residential properties as well as three commercial properties,” Walker said. “So, we’re doing this throughout the community; it’s not just Oldfield [specifically]. Wherever we have blighted properties, we are moving to take them out of the community.”

The Five-Year Strategic Plan

Walker recommended for people interested to take a look at the city’s strategic plan highlighting the next several years of planned progress. This can be accessed online by visiting perry-ga.gov/government/mayor-s-office.

Along with the strategic plan, there you can also find information from the State of the City 2022, Welcome Guide, Citizen Financial Report and access to the latest episode of the Inside Perry Podcast.

Bond Rating Increase

Moody’s Investors Service — a leading global provider specializing in credit ratings, research and risk analysis — upgraded the city’s general obligation bond rating recently. The mayor said Moody’s provided an affirmation, upping the rating from Aa3 to Aa2.

According to the city’s website, “the issuer rating reflects the city’s ability to repay debt and debt-like obligations without consideration of any pledge, security or structural features.”

The city’s water and sewer revenue bond rating also saw an increase to Aa3, thanks to a growth in consumer base, many years of debt coverage and continuous phasing in gradual rate increases annually.

Refer to the Jan. 7 story, “Mayor Walker shares city vision for first Business at Breakfast” for more context and additional details on the topics mentioned in this story.

As the City of Perry develops throughout the new year, read about the latest in The Houston Home Journal.

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