Looking back over the official minutes of the 1920s, the City of Ball Ground has come a long way. On January 5, 1920, at 6:30pm, the first meeting of the year was called to order by Mayor Pro Tem R.M. Thompson. The following council members were present: H.H. Hardin, Walter Darby, Jas H. Holcombe, and L. R. Thomason. The Treasurer’s Report given showed a beginning yearly balance of $1,268.45. An excerpt of the minutes read, “Upon the results of a legal election held the first Saturday in Dec 1919, the following officers were chosen: for mayor, Walter Hardin; for councilmen, L. R. Thomason, W.H Anderson, G. C. McClure, O. A. Williams, and Frank Edwards.” This meeting was closed in due form only to reconvene at 7:30pm with the newly elected mayor and council members leading the way. Council Member W. H. Anderson was elected as mayor pro tem. L. R. Thomason was elected as clerk, and O. A. Williams as treasurer.
On May 5, 1923, Mayor W. H. Anderson presented a Franchise Ordinance to the City Council from J. B. Roberts, requesting authority and right to construct and maintain a power plant or power plants for the purpose of furnishing electric energy to the municipality of Ball Ground and its inhabitants and to make and reserve reasonable charges therefore. The Ordinance further requested the authority to construct a gas plant or gas plants, and to furnish to the municipality and to its inhabitants — gas for lighting, heating, or other purpose and to make and receive reasonable charges therefore. There is no knowledge of a gas plant ever being constructed, but although mostly destroyed, there is still little remnants of the Roberts Dam and Power Company that was built on Long Swamp Creek east of downtown.