Vidalia residents have an important opportunity to voice their opinions over the next two weeks about how royalties from the Sidney A. Murray Jr. Hydroelectric Station should be spent.

Vidalia Mayor Hyram Copeland and others want to potentially spend $7 million of money generated from the hydroelectric station to develop property to be known as the Square on Carter.

Copeland and Vidalia officials sought approval to sell bonds to fund the project, which could possibly be repaid by the hydroelectric revenues.

However, members of the Louisiana State Bond Commission pointed out Vidalia officials had not followed the letter of the law, which requires giving citizens an opportunity to have input on how those royalties are spent.

In the ordinance that governs the hydroelectric station, rebating royalty money to ratepayers on their utility bills is a priority over spending the money on any other new projects.

Vidalia officials have set those public hearings for 5 p.m. Tuesday and 6 p.m. June 9, both at the Vidalia City Hall.

If you are a citizen of Vidalia and want those hydroelectric royalties to be rebated to you, showing up and saying that at one of these two public hearings — or both — is necessary.

Using those royalties for new, speculative projects sets a bad precedent. As the bond commission pointed out, no private firm has come forward to partner with Vidalia on the retail development.

The late Sidney Murray, who championed the hydroelectric project, intended for royalties to be returned to the people of Vidalia.

If you don’t speak now, money that could be returned to you and your family could be in jeopardy.