SPARTA, Mich. — After 142 years as a village, Sparta is considering a change in governmental status. A committee has recommended that the West Michigan community move up to city status.
Village Manager Jim Lower believes the change is overdue.
"Cityhood in the village of Sparta has been talked about at least since the 50s," Lower said. "Because the villages aren't really designed to be a permanent station as a form of government. It's an intermediate step between being nothing and being a city."
The committee focused primarily on potential tax benefits for residents.
"The thing the committee was focused on, more than anything, was, is there a way to actually lower property taxes for people and unlock savings by getting rid of the complication and the confusion of the village form of government," Lower explained.
Currently, village residents pay both township and village property taxes. The committee's report indicates residents would see a net tax savings of 1.2 mills by becoming a city, amounting to approximately $170 less in taxes each year for the average household.
The transition would not expand Sparta's boundaries. Rather, the proposed switch is administrative in nature and designed to improve governmental efficiency.
"People's day-to-day lives won't change that much. What will change is the lower taxes, the more efficient interaction with their local government," Lower said. "Those are the main things, as far as what the town looks like and what it feels like, and all that nostalgia and things that we all care about, none of that will really change too much."
Lower acknowledged that the transition may create some tension with the township.
"Decoupling the finances and that relationship with the township, you know, has already and will likely continue to create some consternation and some heartburn, but we'll work through it," he said.
If the Village Council votes to proceed, the next step involves circulating a petition to gather signatures supporting the change. Should the petition succeed, Sparta residents will vote on becoming a city — a process that could take approximately 18 months to complete.
To see the committee's final report, click here.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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