Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-04-07
FOR MUNICIPAL EXPAN-


SION-Our sister city of Cordele
will hold a bond election this
month on the proposition of is
suing $4,000 in bonds to buy its
now privately operated light and
power plant and $4,000 more for
extending its water mains. The
bond election is a result of a Wig
orous campaign by Editor Brown
of the Cordele Dispatch. People
in this section should wish the
Cordele boosters success in their
enterprise because it will help a
good South Georgia town and
help the section that much with
out hurting any other South Geor
gia town. Cordele is shooting
for municipal expansion. Cordele
wants to grow and to become a
better place for folks to live. The
Leader believes that Cordele tax
payers will be willing to vote for
that end. Certainly, civic expan-
sion can not be made without
expenditure of money,
Fitzgerald is also shooting for
expansion. Fitzgerald is a good
town in which to live, It has more
advantages to offer its citizens in
the way of good schools, good
and cheap electric and power and
water, good streets, well lighted,
and other things, than have most
cities of its size. But Fitzgerald
is long way from being perfect.
Four separate and distinct mu-
nicipal NEEDS have been placed
more or less squarely before the
public through the columns of the
Leader during the last few
months. Fitzgerald needs a high
school auditorium, new modern
and fire proof First Ward school
building, new equipment for the
Water, Light and Power Plant,
and an extension of several thous-
and feet of water mains for fire
protection to the Southeast side
of the city. All this will cost
money; heavy bond issue is
needed to cover all of it. The best
interests of the city, in the Lead
er's opinion. demand that the
money be spent.
Probably more than 100000
will be required to accomplish all
these needed civic improvements.
Fitzgerald has ample credit on
which to borrow this money if
the voters and tax payers are will
ing to spend it. The water, light
and power plant Investment
would pay for itself in the course
OF five years. The cost of the
water main extension would be
recovered by owners of third
ward property in reduced insur-
ance rates and better fire pro-
lection. The investment in a
new first ward building would
return ample dividends in great
er safety and comfort Of the child
rem who attend the school The
high school auditorium and addi-
tlonal class rooms are needed in
the interests OF efficiency, to re
heVe the present overcrowding
and make room for more child
rem than the present building
will accommodate.
The fairest way in which to
vote the needed bonds would be
to have each project voted sepa-
rately at the bond election. 1t
would be unfair to risk losing
any one or two or three of the
needed improvements because
one or two of them might not be
popular. By voting on all four
projects at one election, the nee
essary majority of registered vo-
tiers could be brought to the polls.
The law requires that bond
issue be approved by the votes
of two-third of a majority of the
registered voters. A majority of
voters must cast their ballots or
the election is null and void.
More bonds have been LIST rec.
entity because of failure OF the
necessary number to vote than