PERRY — The Perry City Council held a special meeting Monday to discuss details of the 2011 fiscal year budget and to debate a request from local ghost seekers.

A group calling themselves the Peach State Paranormal Investigations team, based in Warner Robins, contacted the council last month about Evergreen Cemetery. The group claimed that they had “photographic evidence” of “electronic voice phenomenon” from gravesites.

“If you would like to see and hear this evidence we would be more than glad to share it with you,” said Joni Clements, manager of the organization, in a May 16 e-mail to the council.

The organization volunteered to help clean up and repair gravesites at the cemetery.

The request elicited more than a few chuckles from the council, but most members seemed amenable to granting the organization’s request, provided the city oversees their labor.

“I would not feel comfortable turning our cemetery into an exhibit hall,” Perry City Manager Lee Gilmour said.

The council also heard a proposal from Joel Gray, the Perry Deputy Chief of Police, to shift existing funds to hire an additional firefighter for the city. The city will need about $34,000 to fill the position.

The city laid off a firefighter last December. Gray estimated that the position could be filled on Sept. 15.

“We can stick it out until September,” Gray told the council.

The Perry City Council will hold another work session next Monday to finalize details of the 2011 budget. The council will likely approve the final budget during the June 15 meeting, Perry Mayor James E. Faircloth said.

To contact Thomas L. Day, call 744-4489.