The Coolidge examiner., 1945-06-15
Action Assures
Incorporation
Vote in Fall
incorporation Committee and
c. of G. Directors Plan to
Give All Land Owners OPP
portunity to Sign Plea for
Election.

Another step toward Coolidge
dropping the swaddling clothes of
its community infancy and stepping
out as a responsible, self-govern-
ing town, was taken Monday even
ing at combined meeting of the
board of directors of the Chamber
OF Commerce and the incorporation
committee.
1t was voted unanimously at that
meeting to put into circulation to-
day (Friday, June 15), the petition
asking the board of supervisors of
P1nal county to call an election of
bona fide electors and property
owners to decide whether or not
the taxpayers of Coolidge wish to
incorporate as a town and become
self-governing In community af-
fairs.
The matter of incorporating has
been before this city for some time
and action in calling an election
to vote on the issue has recently
been delayed year by legal tech
nicalities which have finally been
cleared up. Meanwhile, the town
has continued to grow and It's prob
lens have continued to multiply,
so that the demand for action is
heavier than ever before.
While signatures of only 10 per
cent of the land owners in the area
to be incorporated are required to
present to the county board in or
der to call an Incorporation cleo
ton. it was the sense of the meet
ing that, as far as possible, every
property owner in the area would
be given an opportunity to sign the
petition for an election.
1t was felt that in this way the
sentiment of the voters and pro-
perty owners would be fairly well
ascertained before a petition for
election is presented to the Pinal
county board. The petition may be
signed by land owners who do not
actually favor incorporation, but
desire to see the issue settled at
the polls, as well as by those who
favor both the election and the in
corporation.
If it incorporates as a town,
Coolidge will be governed by
town council and exofficio mayor
who will serve without salary, thus
assuring government at a minimum
of expense.
The new town will, however,
have full power to govern it's own
affairs in such matters as policing,
sanitation. including sewage dis
posal, garbage and rubbish, street
and sidewalk Improvements (and
some relief from the nuisance and
damage from dust) fire protection,
library. parks and many other mat
ters. 1t will levy its own municipal
taxes which can be kept to a min
imum, or raised higher, according
to the services demanded by tax
payers of the home town.
Similarly, improvements will and
can only be made as property own
ers need and desire them and are
willing to pay for them. The mat
ter of improvements will be entire
ly In local hands and citizens may
proceed as slowly, or as rapidly as
desired in such matters. The mere
matter of Incorporating does not
commit the town to any fixed pro-
gram of improvements, but only
places the control of such matters
in the hands of Coolidge citizens.
Petitions for the incorporation
election are today in the hands of
Dr.. r. v. Campbell at his office,
James Luthy at Luthy apartments,
Howard Gosa at his barber shop,
Robert L. Cannon at Coolidge
drug store, DR.. G. H. Walker at his
office and J. ]. Jones at the office
of the Chamber of Commerce.
Illustrating some of the difficult
ties in which Coolidge finds itself
as an unincorporated community
was a letter from U. S. Senator
Carl Hayden offering to secure
Federal funds for planning, i'm
proving and developing the local
sewer system (Which is conspicu-
Gus by it's absence) and to provide
for the cost of architectural and
engineering fees in planning and
improving such a system. These
and other postwar funds bid fair
to be lost to Coolidge because it
is not incorporated, has no plans
for improvements and does not even
possess fully organized sewer
district.
Howard Gosa, president, presid-
ed over the meeting at the Cham
Der Of Commerce. Others in at
tendance included Ray Snider. G.
E. Maxwell, M. D., Robert Cannon,
G. H. Walker, M. D., DR.. R. v.
Campbell, James Luthy, Arthur
Burtcher, Raymond Sroaf, X. w.
Alexander and J. J. Jones, secre-
tary.