Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-11-02
CITY NOW GETTING
lOOC FOR DOLLAR

yesterday dIJiCIt IOlu iCS"IC7
tanned under the plan in Dayton,
Ohio, a city of 100000. Today
articles deals WITH the working OF
of the plan in Springfield, Ohio, a
city of 100000
SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, Nov -
Never before in all it's history, has
Sprinfigeld had so clean and efficient
CITY government and got so much for
its money. as it has since the install
lation of city manager government.
General conditions have greatly I'M
proved, both in the way of moral
conditions and law enforcement and
notably in the way of financial man
agement. After FIVE years trial Of
the plan, that is the concensus of
opinion of Springfield's leading citi-I
zens, including some who were OPP
posed to the plan before it went into
operation.
when the city manager form
of government was first introduced
to the voters of Springfield, / was
against it, but after several years
trial / am a booster for it, This
is the statement of George S. Shaw,
Springfield superintendent of the
Indianapolis Switch and Frog Conn
pany. 1t is just one of hundreds of
similar statements that come from
the lips of Springfield citizens inI
answer to the question: What Of
the city manager plan; Has Spring !
field benefited by it,"
1--WE are now getting 100 cents
worth for every dollar spent" con-
tinues Mr.. Shaw. "And have had
more street Improvements, more gas,
electric light, water and street car
extensions during the last five years
than we could have expected during
the next ten years under the old
form of government. This is be-
cause graft has been eliminated, be-
cause the various departments are
100 per cent efficient, because the
entire city is being run like an up-I
to-date business house.
81 am heartily in favor of the city
manager plan and believe it to be
the only successful form of govern
ment for any city, regardless of
size"
Awakened Civic Pride.
Says H. S. Kissell, real estate
man: "The city manager plan has
awakened in Springfield a civic pride
such as we never knew before. The
humblest citizen feels he can get a !
square deal with our city officials
and he knows that his smallest COM
plant is given as careful attention
as larger matters of interest to big
property owners"
r. W. Mckinney, principal of the
Wittenberg Academy, is another
citizen who opposed the city mana-I
ger plan at the time of its adoption.
He is now a convert and says that
the city manager plan has given
Springfield more for the taxes paid
than even was given it before.
H. c. Wiseman, president of the
Springfield Hardware Company says
that the best asset of the city man
ager plan as in operation in Spring
field lies in having good men visit
the city, look it over and judge for
themselves
81 ask such inspection" says Mr..
Wiseman, because know that the !
city manager pan has given Spring |
held real civic prosperity.
To just what extent has the plan
succeeded in Springfield?
Springfield, in common with all
other Ohio cities, has been compelled |
to reduce expenditures to keep with
in the very limited income permitte
by the state law The rate for mu
nicipal operating expenses is kept
down to between $3.50 and S4.00l
per thousand. The city has no
choice in the matter of valuation
which is left in the hands of county
officers.
Wiped Out Old Debt.
In spite of these restrictions, dur
ing the first two years under the
city manager plan, Springfield wiped
out all her old floating debt handed
down from the previous administra
ton, reduced the tax rate from S1.50I
ped 500 to S1.30, motorized her fire
department, made one-third of all
the street and sewer improvements
ever installed in the history of the
city, established the eight-hour dayl
for city laborers, spent more moneyi
for outdoor relief and Fairgrounds
than ever before, improved street
lighting, whose efficiency was in
creased more than 800 per cent,
while the cost was reduced "a per
cent; increased the revenue of the
water department $10,799, while I'M
creasing the operating expense
$270, and reduced the total operat-
ing expense of the city II per cent.
The first year of the war caused
an operating deficit of $31 900,
which 1918 increased to about
$4,000. Last year, however, this
was kept down to $31, 900, which is
considered real achievement. since
the receipts from liquor taxes were
reduced three-fifths and salaries and
wages were materially increased.
Modern accounting and purchasing
systems which have been installed
account for part of the savings
effected
A large amount of paving was
done during 1919 at a saving of SCI
per square yard made by using re
dressed Medina blocks instead of
new granite blocks. Five
miles of sewer and three miles of
were constructed Three
thousand feet of 30-inch sewer, on
which no bids could be secured, were
completed by the city itself under
free account"