In the next few months residents in Selma will begin hearing more about a bond issue to move the city forward with its infrastructure. This is the second year the city has undertaken a revenue-raising venture to finance infrastructure projects.

A wish list is circulating among city officials, who will study the items and begin discussions soon. If the U.S. Justice Department gives its nod to the special election on Oct. 27, voters will have the opportunity to accept or reject the items on the ballot.

Certainly city officials have learned their lessons from the previous bond issue that failed so miserably. First, voters want a line-item of what they’re voting for. They want specifics and not just, for example, wireless Internet access in a three-mile radius around City Hall. They want the nth degree of what that means for them and how it will benefit the city related to the cost they’ll put out in extra taxes.

The city will have to provide that information for them. That kind of information and a well-conceived bond issue that will benefit all in some degree will be needed to ensure success.