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Show But the total cost of government would have climbed to $100,000,000. Without additional industry to share the tax burden, individual residents of the county would have to ante up $81,000,000 a year instead of today's $16,000,000. Again breaking that down to a per-person figure, the cost of government for Contra Costa individuals would go up from $46 a year to $81 a year for every man, woman and child in the county. That, of course, just doesn't make sense. Intelligently planned industrial growth to match and, as it were, to underwrite the population growth, does make sense. In plain words, it is essential to the economic well-being of every citizen of every county. Look at the problem from the standpoint of schools. Today, Contra Costa County has about 92,000 children in the public schools. The day is in sight, the experts tell us, when this county will have to provide for 269,000 children in its public schools. With 35 children in a classroom, you're going to need 4900 new classrooms. At a cost of $30,000 per classroom, that means you must find somewhere the assessed value sufficient to raise $147,000,000 for school construction. But enough of figures. What are some of the other problems? For one thing, Contra Costa County is faced with the necessity for tremendous investments in other basic community facilitiesranging from police protection to waste disposal. It is faced also with the tax implications of those services. Further, a practical means must be found for the prevention of hardening of the transportation arteries. Provision must be made for traffic, parking, and transit. Still further, the community must be so developed that it is a good place to work and to live with all those words imply in the way of educational, cultural, and economic values. |