This Week In Landrum….
This Week in Landrum
From the City Administrator’s Office — Monday, April 27, 2026
A Note from the Administrator
One of the most common questions I am asked — and one of the most important questions we ask ourselves at City Hall — is a deceptively simple one: how do we know we are doing a good job? In the private sector, the answer often comes down to a single number on a balance sheet. I know exactly how much my staff needs to bill and collect to cover expenses, turn a profit, and reach their bonus structures. In local government, success is harder to measure. We are responsible for everything from parks and safe streets to the look and feel of a downtown, the responsiveness of a phone call, and the long-term financial health of an organization that must outlast any of us. None of those things reduce neatly to a dollar figure.
But “harder to measure” is not the same as “impossible to measure,” and it is certainly not an excuse to avoid the exercise. Defining success in the public sector is challenging — it is also doable, and residents should expect it of us. That means setting clear goals before we start a project, being honest about what “done” and “well done” look like and reporting back on outcomes in plain language. Whether the work is paving a street, processing a business license, or recruiting a permanent City Administrator, we should be able to tell you what we set out to accomplish, what we actually accomplished, and where we fell short.
You will see this thread running through almost every item below. The Classification and Compensation Study, the noise ordinance work, the business license update, our park improvements, and even how we structure Council agendas — each of these is, at its core, an effort to define what good looks like and then measure ourselves against it. That is the standard I hold myself to in this interim role, and it is the standard I want this organization to hold itself too long after I am gone.
As a reminder, I am serving in this interim role part-time through September while continuing my law practice in North Carolina. I am generally in the office at City Hall on weekday mornings.
What Happened This Week
• Mayor Briggs, Councilwoman Browning, Communications Director Taber, and I attended the Rails to Trails Forum regarding the Saluda Grade Trail. The forum was an excellent opportunity to hear directly from project leaders, ask hard questions about safety, parking, maintenance, and economic impact, and connect with leaders from the other communities along the corridor. Landrum has a meaningful seat at this table, and we intend to use it. More information about the trail and the forum series is available here.
• Continued one-on-one conversations with business owners working through this year’s business licensing process. If you’ve called and I haven’t spoken with you yet, I am in the process of catching up with everyone. I want to acknowledge directly: this year has been harder than usual, and we have heard the frustration. It is a fair frustration, and we take it seriously. At the same time, the previous fee structure and process had drifted out of step with municipal best practices and with what state law and our own ordinances require. Bringing Landrum back in line was not optional, and doing it well now means a more predictable, more equitable process in the years ahead. We are committed to walking through it with you, and to continuing to refine the customer experience as we go.
• Held internal review meetings on outcome metrics for our current major workstreams — defining what “success” looks like for each, so we can report progress to Council and to residents in concrete terms.
• Additional decibel readings collected in furtherance of the noise ordinance update.
• Continued staff and partner coordination on Saluda Grade Trail readiness, including identifying the resources Landrum will need at the trailhead and along the corridor to keep residents and visitors safe.
• Coffee with the City was held on Wednesday April 22 at Third Space Coffee Bakery with a great turnout. We had a good time and even had to move the conversation outside to the picnic tables to accommodate the crowd.
• Planning Commission Work session to discuss projects and administrative changes. A recap can be found here.
• The playground stairs at Brookwood Park were repaired and recoated by Revie and Scott. This is part of an ongoing maintenance cycle and long-term plans for Brookwood Park and other parks and recreation amenities in the Landrum area are still being discussed with Spartanburg County. Brookwood Park update can be found here.
What We’re Working on Now
• Finalizing the Classification and Compensation Study, conducted internally after the original vendor cancelled, with Council review anticipated next month. Awaiting final 2026 Municipal and County Salary study information.
• Building out a simple, public-facing scorecard that ties our major initiatives — parks, IT, ordinance updates, recruitment — to defined outcomes and target dates, so progress can be tracked transparently.
• Ongoing improvements at Brookwood Park, including continued equipment repairs. A new ADA-compliant swing remains on order.
• Ongoing discussions with the property owner of Northside (Simmons St.) Park regarding clearing title so that a new lease can be entered and park improvements can take place. Unfortunately, until the title issue is resolved the City cannot take any further action on moving forward with any improvements at the park site. The city does not own the real property and has been in a long-term lease for many years; however, the lease has expired and the original grantors of the lease have passed away. The probate process must be followed by the family before the City can continue with any plans or use of the property.
• Evaluation of IT service providers continues, with the goal of bringing a recommendation to the May agenda.
• Meeting with OneSpartanburg this week to discuss economic development opportunities in the region.
• Evaluating existing and needed ordinance updates and additions with the City Attorney.
• Code Enforcement: The City of Landrum has a formal process for filing a complaint or an action request. If you or someone you know sees something that is an issue that needs to be addressed or has a general complaint about something within the City Limits of Landrum, please follow the process below:
Contact Landrum City Hall by phone at (864)457-3000, email at requests@cityoflandrumsc.com or in person at 100 N Shamrock Avenue.
You will need to provide your name, address and phone number, as well as the location and nature of your complaint.
City Hall staff will assist you with filling out the proper form for your complaint.
Once the form is completed it will be routed to the appropriate department for investigation/review.
Upon investigation/review the complainant will be contacted with the results of the investigation/review.
We want to make sure everyone in our town feels heard and ensure that we properly address your concerns. By following this process, it allows the city administrator, council members and staff to track the complaints and brings awareness to areas of concern.
• Work continues on the City Administrator recruitment pamphlet, anticipated for Council review in May with the position posted in May or June.
• Continued internal improvements to workflows and processes to ensure we are being accountable, transparent, and adopting recognized municipal best practices.
Looking Ahead
• City Council Work session and Business Meeting will be on Tuesday May 12, 2026 and materials will be posted in advance on the city website.
• Continued follow-up engagement on the Saluda Grade Trail. More information at saludagradetrail.org.
• Dark Corner Classic Car Show is May 30, 2026 from 10am-4pm.
• Every Saturday: Landrum Farmers Market — come out and enjoy the season!
• City of Landrum businesses are offering specials spring promotions, so be sure to get out and shop locally! For every $1 spent at a small business, approximately 68 cents stays in the local community, supporting local jobs, families, services and the hometown businesses that keep Landrum full of hometown charm.
Questions or concerns? Reach us at 864.457.3000 or requests@cityoflandrumsc.com. We always want to hear from you.
Respectfully,
J.J. Sauve, Interim City Administrator
Tricia Taber, Communications Director