Political Notebook: Perry council hears about odd 1824 ordinances
Perry City Council members got an earful from residents Tuesday about its revised sign ordinance.
Most of the comments suggested the city is going overboard with its rules. But if those residents had attended the pre-council meeting, they would have known that the Perry City Council of 1824 imposed a few odd rules on residents.
The history lesson came from Terre Walker, who recounted some things she learned at a Perry Historical Society meeting she attended Monday. The meeting featured a reading of ordinances from 1824, which included:
You may not hitch your horse to a light post or sign post.
You cannot build a fire in the center of the street.
If you camp in the street, you will be fined $5.
Outhouses had to be at least four feet away from the sidewalk.
And Walker's personal favorite: "No throwing of dead animals in the street unless they are not offensive."
No one could come up with a good answer to this question: What is a non-offensive dead animal?
TWO MACON OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR RE-ELECTION
Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert and Bibb County Coroner Leon Jones announced this week their plans to seek re-election.
Reichert will make an official announcement Monday at 11:30 a.m. at 1083 Washington Ave., according to a news release.
Jones told The Telegraph on Thursday evening that he also would seek another term as coroner.
Both of those positions are nonpartisan, and the elections will be held in May with a July runoff if necessary.
HOUSTON GETS APPROVAL FOR LANDFILL EXPANSION
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division has given Houston County the OK for a 294-acre expansion of its landfill.
Commission Chairman Tommy Stalnaker made the announcement at Tuesday's board meeting. The county still has about eight years left on the original 200 acres it's currently using. But because of the long process of getting approval for an expansion, the county started seeking the permit in 2012.
The expansion is estimated to cost $45 million and would be done in increments over several years.
HOUSTON, PERRY ENDORSE E-SPLOST
Every governing body in Houston County has now endorsed the special purpose local option sales tax that's dedicated to education, or E-SPLOST.
On Tuesday, the Houston County Commission and Perry City Council approved resolutions in support of the referendum, which will be on the ballot in the March 1 presidential primary election.
The city councils of Warner Robins and Centerville previously endorsed the E-SPLOST.
PERDUE ANNOUNCES MOBILE OFFICE HOURS
U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., has set up mobile office hours for February, according to a news release.
The hours provide the public with opportunities to meet with Perdue's staff members across the state. In Middle Georgia, people can visit with the staff on Feb. 23 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Washington County Courthouse in Sandersville.
To reach the constituent services team, call the Atlanta office at 404-865-0087.
Staff writers Wayne Crenshaw, Stephen Mays and Stanley Dunlap contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 6:41 PM with the headline "Political Notebook: Perry council hears about odd 1824 ordinances ."