Sparta Hires New Water Plant Operator

Keith Volkers will serve as Sparta’s new water plant operator in training.

Mayor Jerry Lowery said the city relieved as it has been trying to fill the position over the past few months.

“We are doing good,” Lowery said. “We needed a water operator and in training, they’ve got certifications that they got to go through so you just can’t jump right in from one spot. It’s gonna work out and be better for the city and we get them trained up and hopefully they stay.”

Lowery said it is common for cities to hire a water plant operator in training. Lowery said water plant operators are tough to find as once an operator is fully certified it can be tough to keep them.

“For a lack of a better word their stock goes up and then if a surrounding county needs a certification of water operator and they can go for another two or three or four dollars more an hour a lot of times they do that,” Lowery said. “It’s the nature of the business.”

Water plant employees have had to work extended hours since the operator position became vacant. Lowery said maybe now those employees will have a lightened workload.

“What happens is it takes a strain off of other people,” Lowery said. “Because someone has got to be there 24/7 the other people that are there have to take up the slack so it relieves a burden on the others that are working there right now as well.”

Sparta Aldermen approved to hire a new water plant operator during the aldermen meeting on Thursday.