Commissioners hear from Perry United Methodist Church, receive thanks from Emory Healthcare

WARNER ROBINS — The Houston County Commissioners heard from Reverend Tom Carruth, Senior Pastor of Perry United Methodist Church. 

Before serving as Senior Pastor, Carruth was the youth minister at First United Methodist Church of Warner Robins. He was hired by Tommy Stalnaker, who was Chairman of their Board at the time. 

“I lived in Warner Robins from 2004-2007, went to seminary as a Methodist preacher, then moved back to Houston County in 2021,” Carruth said. 

He posed the question if politicians or preachers have the worst reputation. The popular answer would be politicians; however, Carruth pointed out that people assume that there’s a “motive or an agenda all the time”. 

“Being at Perry Methodist, I’ve gotten to know some other political leaders, and I found out that they’re just human beings trying to do the best they can,” he said. 

Carruth then read Matthew Chapter 5, which is Jesus’ sermon on the mount. He said the sermon starts with us keeping our promises. 

“How much greater would it be if we went back to just what Jesus taught which is: yes is yes and no is no, that’s it. Anything more from that comes from the evil one,” he said. “I’m saying that for myself and for all of us that we need to be more of a community.” 

Carruth said one reason he loves Houston County is that he feels more at home. 

“We’re trying to actually be human, friendly and have relationships with each other,” he said. “The only way that this thing is going to work and not completely come off the rails is for me to be able to talk to you and you talk to me and say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.” 

Commissioner Shane Gottwals said we can learn from Jesus’ sermon on the mount in politics as well as in our daily lives.  

“We appreciate you being here and bringing that word. You do great work, and I appreciate your impact on this community,” he said. 

Commissioner Gail Robinson said she hopes everyone could take Carruth’s words to heart. 

Members of Emory Healthcare, Warner Robins, and Perry expressed appreciation to the Board of Commissioners for their investment in the hospital, as they allocated $2 million in ARPA funds. 

CEO Kevin Splaine said they have used these funds to upgrade X-ray equipment and CT scanners. 

“The technology that you’ve allowed us to acquire is not only faster or more accurate, but also allows us to build for the future,” he said. 

With the funds given to them, he said they were also able to include new software that will allow them to do advanced cardiac imaging. 

“As we bring more advanced cardiac specialists here, the technology is waiting for them,” he said. “It’s an important building block for the community and the services here.”   

Director of Radiology, Kendra White Brown, said they appreciate the ARPA funds sent as they now have three new CT scanners at all three of their facilities in the county. 

“This technology has brought us to the highest end of technology here for Houston County and in this Middle Georgia area,” she said. “It will give us the ability to improve patient throughput, improve throughput through the ED, but it also gives us an opportunity to expand in the heart and vascular service line here, so that we have the ability to keep our patients here and not have to go up to Bibb [County] or Atlanta.” 

Manager of Radiology for Emory Warner Robins, Jeff Engel, said he was born and raised in Houston County and works with “heroes on the frontline”. 

“When we get this opportunity to get this new equipment in a place where the technologists don’t have to struggle a lot, patients get a smoother transition and better diagnostic scans,” he said. “The technologists told me to say thank you as they all appreciate it so much.” 

In new business, the Board approved a professional services agreement to redesign the county website. According to the agenda, the website was redesigned in 2016 and will need an update to “meet the current accessibility standards and improve usability”. 

The county will enter into a Professional Services agreement with Third Wave Digital out of Macon and is required to meet the “WCAG 2,1 accessibility by the April 24, deadline”.

The next Houston County Commissioners meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 7, at 9 a.m., located at the Houston County Courthouse in Perry. The full agenda of this meeting can be found at www.houstoncountyga.gov/minutes/2026-03-17%20Department%20Head%20Copy.pdf