Sparta Saves On Budget By Removing Two Positions

Sparta will have two less staff positions heading into the new fiscal year.

The recently approved city budget removed a water collection sewer distribution operator and a street laborer. City Administrator Brad Hennessee said two supervisors recently retired and the promoted employees carried those responsibilities to their new positions.

“Job descriptions and things like that are not updated as much as they should,” Hennessee said. “They were dated, and we were able to update those and make it more operationally responsible.”

Hennessee said the city saved about $65,000 without leaving an employee without a job. Hennessee said the overall work force remains about the same with the police department at full force and new positions with the electric department.

“We got roughly the same number of employees as when I first started,” Hennessee said. “The electric department has gained an apprentice lineman and a journey lineman that we haven’t had in the past. The police department now has a full roster which hasn’t happened here in a while.”

Hennessee said Sparta has likely combined positions in the past, but this is has not been done in recent years.