City officials reject bid for installation of backup generator at Sparta’s YMCA

Sparta Board of Mayor and Aldermen made quick work of the agenda for the  first meeting in March. The board unanimously approved all eight items that were up for a vote, with very little need for discussion.

Among those items was the decision to reject a bid that had been received for the installation of a backup generator at the YMCA and rebid the project. According to city administrator Tonya Tindle, the city only received one bid for the project, and that bid had come in higher than the city had been expecting. The board made the decision to send out new bid packages in hopes of receiving additional responses at a lower rate.

Also approved was the decision to promote Brian England from the position of customer service manager to the position of office manager for the Sparta Electric Company. Mayor Jerry Lowery was pleased with the board’s decision, saying that he liked the policy of promoting from within as England has been a 25-year employee of the city. The board also approved the application of Jackson Blaylock for position of volunteer firefighter.

The decision to use funds that had been budgeted for the Public Works department but that had been saved when a previous project had come in under budget to help purchase a new vehicle on state contract for the water plant.

Acting as the city’s Beer Board, the aldermen approved the off-premises beer permit for Binpin Kumar Patel to sell beer at the gas station located at 579 N. Spring St.

The next meeting of Sparta Board of Mayor and Aldermen is scheduled for 5 p.m., March 20, at city hall. All meetings are open to the public and are livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel for those who wish to stay informed about all the city’s business.