Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-08-07
COUNCIL MAY ORDER
SOME ONE TO SIGN
If Mayor Fielder Decides
Not TO Do SO.
First Time Such a Case
Has Ever Arisen
Here.

Mayor Fielder has not yet signed the
bill of the Southern Printers for the
plans and specifications for the pro-
posed municipal lighting plant, which
he held up at the last meeting of the
City Council on the ground that he
had doubts as to the legality of the
bill.
The Mayor then stated that he pro-
posed securing the opi1rion of an at
torney with regard to the legality of
the bill and being guided by his de-
cision.
+ Who the lawyer is whose opinion
will be obtained is not known, but
it will not be the city attorney.
Coy. Sheppard is well known to he
thoroughly aligned with the part of
Council favoring the proposed munic-
ipal lighting plant, and as he has
guided that committee in all of it's
actions his opinion, of course, would
be that the bill contracted by it for
printing the plans and specifications
is legal.
The Mayor naturally realizes this
and will seek the opinion of some
more disinterested member of the bar.
viii Not Lose the Money.
In the event that the Mayor refuses
to sign the bill and throws it back
upon the hands of Council the print
ers will not lose their money.
Council, in such an event, through
its majority vote, will probably di-
rect the Mayor protein. who is AL
derman Lee Allen, to sign the bill 1t
would then be read yfor payment by
the treasurer.
This is probably the first time such
a case has arisen in this city, and it
is doubtful if there has ever been a
case in any other Georgia city in
which the Mayor refused to sign a
bill passed by Council-provided May
Or Fielder takes that position
Much interest attaches to the case
as a result.
This bill Of $14 is the first and only
expense account that has been put in
evidence growing out of the municipal
ownership movement.
The bill for the services of Engi-
neer Davis, it is intimated, is not like
ly to come before Council until the
movement is successful, that is, until
the projectors have succeeded in car
rying through their plan and the work
is actually under way on a plant-if
they succeed.
Under the agreement Engineer
Davis is to supervise the building of
the plant until it is turned over to the
city. His payments would according
ly hardly come until that condition is
reached.
''NOt Laying Any Brick"
An alderman was asked yesterday
what the status of the movement was,
whether anything was now being
done.
"Well, we're not laying any brick, :"
was the laconic reply.
But" he added, "that doesn't mean
that brick sooner or later will not be
laid"
1t is stated, on good authority that
if the present lighting company will
agree to withdraw its opposition to a
municipal plant, the majority mem
bers of Council will be willing to buy
the existing electric plant at a fair
valuation, /. e., price based on it's
actual value.
The city cannot, under it's charter,
own and operate gas plant, or that
would probably be included in the Of
fer But there is hardly any likeli-
hood of such a plan being successful.
The value that the majority of the
Council would be willing to pay for
the electric plant would probably be
long ways off from the value the
owners would put upon it.