Minute with The Mayor

The City of Sparta is currently conducting a comprehensive pay scale study to see how our employee compensation compares with other cities and counties in our area. Pay is always an important issue, and we want to do everything we can to make Sparta a great place to work and a place where we can attract and retain quality employees.

As part of this study, all of our job descriptions will be reviewed to make sure each position is properly classified and placed on our pay scale. This is a much-needed study that will give us good information as we make decisions concerning our employees and future budgets.

At the same time, whenever we talk about employee pay, we must remember that we are working with taxpayer dollars. That is a responsibility I take very seriously. Our employees deserve to be compensated fairly for the work they do, but government also has an obligation to remember that the people’s money matters. Every decision we make must be carefully considered as we work through our budget each year. Finding that balance is important.

We are also wrapping up the Downtown Retail Strategies workshops that have been taking place over the past year. Many ideas and suggestions have come from these meetings as we look for ways to strengthen, improve, and continue bringing life and activity to our downtown area.

I’m also glad to report that the walking bridge project is finally getting ready to go out for bid. This has taken longer than we would have liked, but we are moving forward and getting closer to seeing the bridge repaired and reopened.

I also want to remind everyone that the Lester Flatt Celebration is taking place this Saturday, October 10. Bring your lawn chair, find a spot on the Square, and enjoy some great bluegrass music in beautiful downtown Sparta. The music begins at 11:15 a.m., and there will be plenty going on throughout the day, including more than 100 vendors around the Square.

For the safety of everyone attending, roads around the Square will be closed on Friday and Saturday. We appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we prepare for this event.

I also want to publicly thank our city staff for the tremendous amount of work that goes into making an event like this successful. There is a lot that happens behind the scenes, and I appreciate everyone who helps make this celebration possible.

The Lester Flatt Celebration has been a part of our community for nearly 30 years. I encourage everyone to come downtown, enjoy the fall weather, listen to some great bluegrass music, visit the vendors, and celebrate a tradition that is part of Sparta’s heritage.

Finally, our second Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting for October has been moved to Thursday, October 22, due to the school system’s fall break and the possibility of limited attendance because of previously planned vacations.

God Bless, Be Safe, Finish Strong.