Centerville council talks budget, fire station donation

CENTERVILLE — The city of Centerville took the time to take care of budget business and celebrate ongoing partnerships with the fire department during their city council meeting June 4.

The fire department received a donation through a partnership with Firehouse Quilts of Houston County. At Tuesday’s meeting, the department received a hand-made quilt for the fire station.

“We are so pleased that Chief [Jason] Jones was patient enough with us to put these quilts out on firetrucks, so that [when] they’re seeing people with the worst days of their life, they’re able to give them something that says ‘Hey, we love you and here’s a hug,’ Firehouse Quilts of Houston County’s spokesperson Patsy Ennis said.

Ennis said since October 2022, the organization has donated 131 quilts to the fire department. The quilt donated on Tuesday, lovingly called “the boot quilt,” was made of various t-shirts from the fire department’s community fundraisers. Ennis added the quilt is one of three they plan to donate.

Jones thanked Ennis for their donation, saying he has also passed along the quilts to other fire stations and organizations like the community warming center.

“We not only have these quilts on our trucks, but we also have delivered these quilts to the other fire departments in the county and they have quilts on their trucks as well,” Jones said.

The fire department also renewed their county automatic aid agreement, enabling both Centerville and Houston County Fire Departments to respond to emergencies.

According to Jones, the agreement covers structure fires and vehicle accidents with entrapment on properties north of Watson Boulevard and west of North Houston Road. 

“It will provide more manpower on these types of incidents a lot more quicker for both agencies. And that only helps everybody in the community,” Jones said, adding later, “We’ve always had a good working relationship with the county, and this is just going to strengthen that and help both departments, as well as the citizens of those areas.”

Centerville also held a public hearing for its proposed fiscal year 2025 budget, explained by Councilmen J. Micheal Evans and Robert Bird, this year’s budget committee leaders.

According to city documents, the total budget is set for just over $17 million. General fund expenditures make up $7.7 million; special revenue expenditures make up $157,000; SPLOST and LMIG expenditures make up $1.6 million and enterprise fund spending makes up $9.3 million.

The proposed budget is over $2 million higher than last year’s budget. Evans said this is due to an extra loan payment of $680,000 the city plans to make toward the fire station, which will be the final payment and save the city almost $200,000 in interest charges. 

Another increase, Evans said, was in the enterprise fund, and would go to capital and infrastructure purchases. Increases would also go to operating costs and two positions at the police department.

Bird further explained capital purchases from the enterprise fund, including a widening project at Wilson Drive and Elberta Road, Bay Gall sewer line construction, new equipment for the water and sewer department, infrastructure repairs near the Humane Society of Houston County, and relocating the recycling center.

“We have a lot going on. We’re doing a lot of things. All the things we’re doing are going to make things better for our citizens and for those who are traveling through our city,” Evans said.

Mayor John Harley added the city has a tax exemption citizens 70 or older can apply for.

“We’re supporting our seniors by doing that. And it’s something we should be proud of that we’re able to do that, too, and keep our budget as low as we do keep it,” Harley said. 

Susan Lemme spoke as a concerned citizen at the city’s public hearing Tuesday night. She said she also attended the Houston County Board of Commissioners meeting and reported a $40,000 increase in her property value over two years. She is hopeful the city will consider rolling back its millage rate.

“If everybody’s property values increased similarly to mine, you probably have sufficient room to roll back the millage rate some based on the big increases in value that most of us have seen,” Lemme said.

A full look at the proposed budget can be found on the city’s website.

The next Centerville city council meeting will take place June 18, 5 p.m., at Centerville City Hall, located at 300 E. Church Street. 

A live stream and supporting documents for this meeting can be found here.