News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Sparta’s proposed budget will be about $200,000 more than last year.
The Board of Aldermen got its first glimpse of the $5.6 million 21-22 fiscal year budget Tuesday during a work session. Mayor Jeff Young said the budget is a conservative one but the funds are there for some needed additions in the city.
“You always wish you had more money to do more projects, but the city of Sparta is probably in the best financial shape that we have been in the past 26, 27 years,” Young said. “We are in a good position to keep moving in that direction, because we are running so lean when it comes to workforce and the projects we have in the pipeline. We’re in good shape.”
The proposed budget includes a three percent step raise for all city employees along with $800,000 for capital projects such as paving and sidewalks. City Administrator Brad Hennessee said the budget will have its first reading on June 3rd.
“$166,181 is what the general fund is up,” Hennessee said. “Some of the big changes in that, City hall is actually a big one down. Police department was a big one down. Fire department is a big one up. Street department is a big one down. Sanitation is a big one down. Parks changing to 91,700 is a big one and then the transfer to capital projects 311 100,000 and that was the difference. We had 700,000 last year.”
According to the budget, Sparta is also anticipating an about $30,000 increase in tax revenues. According to Hennessee, there is about $78,000 in surplus that still needs to be earmarked before the budget is approved.
