Perry council discusses comprehensive plan, councilmembers speak out against rate increases

PERRY — The Perry Comprehensive Plan update was presented at Tuesday night’s Perry City Council meeting, and the council wants to start hearing from citizens. 

Tuesday’s first required public hearing kicked off the comprehensive planning process. City Manager Robert Smith anticipates the plan will be completed by February 2027.

According to council documents, the comprehensive plan guides future land use and development decisions in the city. It will also provide direction for related elements such as housing, transportation, and infrastructure. The plan will set the long-term vision for the city’s future.

During the regular meeting, Smith discussed the plan provided by Community Development Director Joe Duffy. 

He shared that the city has completed a joint comprehensive plan with Houston County and nearby cities, which has been a success. 

However, it has fallen short of influencing staff and council decisions, Smith said, adding that the plan had not been tailored to the city’s specific needs. 

For that reason, the city will be completing its own comprehensive plan, which will be combined with the Houston County comprehensive plan. Smith said it should work towards providing the city with something more forward-thinking and useful in application. 

Smith explained that there will be a strong emphasis on receiving input from citizens. He said the plan will be referenced often and will make sure they make well-reasoned decisions. 

The project goals include: 

• Exceed the state of Georgia requirements
• Integrate city documents into a unified synthesis
• Build a truly comprehensive plan
• Engage the community with efficiency and creativity

Smith said a problem is that many plans are sometimes not used or referenced. With this plan, he hopes to take a lot of what is already in place and use it to inform the comprehensive plan, he said. This includes housing, downtown development and the city’s strategic plan. 

There will be five phases in the comprehensive plan, including: 

• Project foundations
• Community assessment
• Vision and goals
• Element development
• Implementation and adoption

Smith shared that the city council has sought to increase community engagement and hopes the plan and process will provide. 

Smith said the city will try to gather as much input as possible through various activities. One of the ways the city will inform the public is through a website where they can learn more about the plan and how to get involved. 

Under the “how to get involved” tab, they include events where they can provide their feedback. An upcoming event is the Perry Wine Tasting on April 17, during which city staff will hand out flyers. There will also be a survey that people can complete on the website. 

Councilmember Amy Fouse encourages the community to share the website, noting that more events and a survey will soon be available on the new site.

During the pre-council meeting, Councilmember Willie King noted that not all citizens are tech-savvy and suggested receiving their input without technology. Duffy said they will look for ways and rely on the council to spread the word to their constituents. 

Smith mentioned distributing print brochures and allowing people to drop off their input at City Hall. 

The city will host another meeting in May for citizens to provide comments. Another step in the process is planning for their first public workshop. 

“This is going to be a very, I hope, exciting process. We hope to get as much engagement as we can from the public on this. Ultimately, I think the product that will be produced is going to be exceptional,” Smith said. 

Mayor Randall Walker said they want as much public engagement as possible and will continually look for ways to connect with every citizen. 

Councilmember James Moody agreed with both Walker’s and Fouse’s comments, saying he wants the survey to be publicly available at every city event. He said they want input from all demographics. 

During council comments, Councilmember Dan Peterson emphasized that the comprehensive plan will be the city’s “north star” for how it navigates decisions. 

To learn more about the comprehensive plan and provide feedback, click here. 

Council comments

Towards the end of the council meeting, council members said they would not vote for any rate increases. 

Fouse was the first to share her comments, saying that over the past few years, citizens have seen many fee increases. She said that as they move into budget season, she will not support or vote for any budget proposals that include fee or rate increases for next year. 

“I know that we have work to do in our city and I know there’s a lot that goes into that. I want our department chairs to have plenty of time to plan accordingly as that’s concerned, because our citizens can only take so much and we’re at that point. We do not have an appetite for more of that. That’s where I stand on that,” she said. 

Councilmembers Robert Jones, Moody and Peterson agreed with Fouse. Moody said affordability is a big issue for everyone. He noted the Georgia Legislature is also aware of these issues and is working on solutions. 

“The citizens of Perry are well aware of the cost of living. I would echo my sentiments, too, that I am not in favor of any rate or fee increases for the fiscal 2027 budget, only as an absolutely last resort,” he said. 

Peterson again reminded the community that it is budget season and believes it will be the most important budget to pass in the city. He said they are going to deal with more revenue, debt, development and people that need city services. 

“It’s a super important time for us to get this right. I join some of my other colleagues who’ve expressed their opinion. I appreciate that. I’m also not in favor of using additional rate increases or fee increases to try to cover our budget,” he said. “I think that’s important for all the staff, the department heads to be considering that as you formulate your budgets.” 

Mayor and Council will hold their pre-council meeting at 5 p.m. and the regular council meeting at 6 p.m. on April 7. Everyone is invited to attend, and the agenda is available here. Both meetings are also livestreamed on YouTube.