The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1926-12-31
FREE SEWERAGE NEVER,
If THIS BILL is PASSED
Aldermen Plan To Make Us Pay For Sewer
age For Years To Come and incidentally
To Put More Bonds on City

Hopes Ol the clllZSilS OF Ill
abeth City getting free sewer
age ior many wears 10 come
will be blasted il the Board of
Aldermen succeed in persuad-
ing Representative !. Kenyon
Wilson to introduce a certain
bill in the next General Assem-
blv to amend the Municipal
Finance Act.
Elizabeth City occupies unique
position among American nnnl1-
paIilieS in that its citizens are
charged for sewerage. Such,
thing is unheard of elsewhere. sew
crage being aS free a. schools. SAM
tatiun. poiica aHA g." w,"' '"''rr
II came about from the fact thai
Elizabeth City's sewerage plant was
privately huilt and privately opcf-
ated by the holders Of the franchise
for electric lights and water. Prl-
yate owners couldn't furnish sew
crage free to the people: they made
n charge for sewerage.
When the city bought the private
" owned water. light and sewerage
plants about two years ago il was
understood that the city would give
the people free sewerage. But NOT
only has, The city continued To
charge for sewerage: the city Is
now Interested in measure thal
will commit it to this policy fer
wears to come.
Tndpr the States Municipal Fill
oncc Act the amount of bonds n city
may issue for all purposes Is deter
mined upon percenta"e ha>lS, ihe
Act assumes however that bonds is
sued for paying public utilities. Snrh
oS electric lights and water, miE
he omitted in computing the ri'N ;
hcndcd indebtedness. 1t Is ASSUME"
that these are paying enterprises
,hot will take care of themselves
md will not be Il burden upon H."
fax uavcr, Bonds issued for sew
crore are not dcductiblc however.
because sewerage is assumed to re
public expense.
And no wthc Board of Aldermen
i asking our Senators and Kepfc-
sentative in the session of th" Gen
oral Assembly which convFncS next
Wednesday. ian. >, 1927. TO amend
thc Municipal Finance Act i'll the
cosp of Elizabeth city. to make
some 5000 600 of bonds issued for
sewerage dcductiblc from the city 5
authorized bonded Indebtedness.
The amendment may look simple
and harmless enough on its face
hut if means in effect that our
Aldermen have no idea of giving
the city free sewerage and that they
nurpcse TO continue to charge the
individual for this primary sanitary
service.
II also means that the Aldermen
will he given lee way to issue ar-
nroximately 100000 more in bonds.
increasing the bonded Indebtedness
Of the city by just that amo'mt.
Elizabeth City's bonded indebted
ness is now about Sl.So00Oo, or
within 100000 to $4,000 of the limit
Of its capacity to borrow under the
Municipal Finance Act. Deduct lis
bonded Indebtedness for sewerage
land your Alderman can go ahead
and bond the city for just that much
more money.
Here then is something for the
itox payers to consider and discuss
with their Senator's and Representa-
five before the General Assembly
convenes next Wednesday. 1t seems
| TO this newspaper that any act that
will commit the city TO charge Its
citizens for sewerage indefinitely
would he crime against the citl-
zens and a disgrace to the city
Sewerage should he FREE