1. County courthouse and city/county municipal complex
If you ve driven down Daniel Morgan Avenue lately, you ve probably seen the big crane and progress on the Spartanburg County courthouse project. The parking deck and nearby central energy plant will be completed by June 30, 2021, Britt said.
After the courthouse is complete, a new joint city/county municipal building will be built as part of the same project funded by a penny sales tax.
Britt said the courthouse and new municipal complex will be a good adrenaline spurt for downtown merchants. It ll make it so much more walkable for our associates at the county and in the city. And it will be a big complex.
Spartanburg’s Police Chief Alonzo Thompson approached the city’s elected leaders in February and requested better pay for his officers a raise that hadn’t occurred since 2016.
Heads nodded in support behind the dais. It seemed for sure it would happen in the coming weeks to help a department that is currently ten officers short and has struggled with retention and recruitment as neighboring agencies pay better.
But then, the COVID-19 pandemic crept in and cast a dark cloud of financial uncertainty over residents, businesses and even government bodies.
When the city council inked a more conservative budget in July, police raises weren’t a part of it as the city braced for the pandemic’s impacts.
Spartanburg police getting their 1st pay raise since 2016
December 21, 2020 GMT
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) Police in one South Carolina city will get a raise of more than 10%, and the chief says higher pay could help him recruit new officers.
The Spartanburg City Council on Monday voted to increase the starting police salary from $36,300 to just over $40,500. The council also awarded one-time bonuses to all 127 other full-time employees, the Spartanburg Herald Journal reported.
Police Chief Alonzo Thompson approached Spartanburg leaders in February to request more money for officers because their last raise was in 2016.
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The budget adopted in July did not include the extra pay for police. Officials said raises are possible now because the city is in better financial shape than expected, with revenue exceeding projections by 2.5%.
Spartanburg’s police officers could receive a long-awaited gift from the city just in time for the holidays.
When the city council meets Monday night for the last time in 2020, they will vote on a budget allocation that, if approved, would give police officers a pay raise.
The wage increase would put Spartanburg’s police department more in line with other agencies within the county and neighboring counties in terms of pay, according to agenda documents.
But police officers aren’t the only city employees that could see a pay boost as the calendar flips over into 2021. City staff is recommending that a one-time supplemental compensation disbursement be provided to 270 other full-time employees.