Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-05-12
EDITORIAL
TIME FOR A CHANGE.

THE report of the auditors on the
financial condition of the City of
Americas as published in summary
in yesterdays Times-Recorder should
constitute a matter of grave concern
to every taxpayer 1t shows that the
floating debt of the city, instead
Of totalling only about 1913, 000 as
the statement presented by Mayor
Sheppard to the city council in
January when nc new budget was
made up showed this statement
being prepared by him from the
city records as they then existed
the floating debt was actually over
$4,000. Since that time new
items of indebtedness have turned
up increasing the total to more
than $146,O0O, and still others are
expected.
The statement as of Dec. 81,
1922, showed that the floating debt
had. increased more than $4,000
in IL years.
This was not wastage or a loss
of that amount, for the statement
when analysed shows that practically
all of this increased floating indebt-
edness went into permanent i'm
provements and public property,
which should have been financed by
bond issue and thus distributed over
a period of years, with a tax levy
being collected regularly to meet it,
But instead Of this being done,
the money was spent out of current
funds, or money borrowed and charg-
ed to current funds with interest
at 8 per cent, and today we dis
cover that the special five-year levy
Of mills, which the city was as
sured would liquidate the entire
floating debt of the city in that Pc
riod, and to which no objection was
raised at that time it was imposed
because the statement was given full
credence, is now scarcely sufficient
to pay interest alone on the float
ing debt, to say nothing of meeting
any of the principal.
The statement means one thing
The City of Americas is suffering
from the lack of business system
of government-lack of business
management. 1t has been going
from bad to worse. Although it has
good men, honest men and conscien-
tious men at its head, among all
its mayor, its members of council,
It's city attorney, its city clerk and
treasurer and Others, it apparent
ly did not have one man who was
making 1T his business to know the
exact condition of the city or, if
he was attempting to know, was
able to find out, until J. 7. War
rem, when he became chairman of
the finance committee, demanded
a competent audit for his own pro-
lection and information. 1t was then
that the auditors, expert in records
and finance, discovered the deplor-
able condition of the city's affairs
and the haphazard manner in which
the council had been spending
money-money that it did not pos
sess-and failing to collect money
due it and pay it just debts.
We believe the result of this
audit proves conclusively that the
time has come for a change in the
form of government for Americas
that the mayor and council plan,
with the office of city clerk and
treasurer elective instead of appoint
We on basis of competency alone, has
been an ABSOLUTE FAILURE. and
that NO HOPE FOR THE CITY TO
EMERGE FROM ITS PRESENT
PREDICAMENT PRESENTS IT
SELF OTHER THAN BY A
CHANGE TO A REAL BUSINESS
LIKE SYSTEM. We believe that
the people will agree, if there ever
has been a division of opinion in the
past, that the time is ripe for the
adoption here of the comission.
manager form of government, which
has been proved efficient in solving
elsewhere needs similar to ours.
$50