PERRY, Ga. — The US Census shows Perry is the fastest growing city in Houston County.
City officials are making changes to support that growth, and one of those changes is moving city hall downtown.
Moving its city hall has been in the works for about a year. Perry's assistant city manager, Robert Smith, says it stems from growth in the city.
"In our current facility, we located there in 1993. Back then, we had a population of about 9,000 people. Now, we're around 21,000. Naturally, we're going to need more space," he said.
The new building is about 2,500 square-feet that they'll relocate six primary functions to, and the renovation has a hefty price tag.
"Right now, what we're looking at is a $3 million price tag to outfit the building to suit our needs," said Smith.
Those needs are greater than housing the staff. He says phase one will be a demo for the primary function of the building -- a municipal court.
"That's one of our fastest-growing services that we provide, so municipal courts will be located on the top floor," he said.
With the growth in Houston County moving rapidly, he believes the move will better support the needs of the people.
"We really need the additional space, and we think being here in downtown Perry is going to allow us to grow with the community and allow us to better serve our citizens and businesses," he said.
Smith says he hopes that they will be in the building around Sept 2022.