A Conservative Vision for Our Community
We have a responsibility to fight for the community we call home. Here's how Sharon Bolos will do it.
Public Safety
When the Commissioners went to bat for [our office], no one swung harder than Commissioner Bolos. And frankly, she knocked it out of the park.
—Sheriff Ryan Arbon
I have served as the Commission liaison to the Sheriff's Office for the past three and a half years. In that role, I have consistently supported the Sheriff and his executive staff in addressing the needs of the department and ensuring they have the resources necessary to serve and protect our community.
Most recently, the Commissioners funded a county-wide compensation study. We were losing deputies to other agencies, and while we knew action was needed, it was important to be intentional about the solution. We needed a long-term strategy, not just a quick fix. To help retain deputies while the study was being completed, we approved retention pay for each deputy at the Sheriff's request. At the same time, we committed to implementing whatever recommendations came from the independent third-party study.
The study recommended approximately $3 million in compensation adjustments for public safety employees. Working collaboratively with county leadership and the Sheriff's Office, we were able to fully fund those increases without raising taxes. We accomplished this through county-wide attrition, adjustments to transfers into the Capital Projects Fund, and $400,000 in savings identified within the Sheriff's budget. It was a highly collaborative effort focused on finding responsible solutions that supported our deputies while protecting taxpayers.
In addition, we adopted a new sworn officer pay plan that is separate from the compensation plan for other county employees. This allows us to adjust deputy compensation independently as the public safety job market changes and remains competitive with surrounding agencies.
I am especially proud that we achieved these goals without increasing taxes. Our deputies deserve competitive pay, and taxpayers deserve responsible stewardship of their hard-earned dollars. As a commissioner, I believe it is my responsibility to support public safety while also looking out for residents who are facing rising costs in their everyday lives.
Budget
Creating the budget has been one of my favorite responsibilities as a commissioner. I have enjoyed our budget work meetings because I love digging deep to see where we can be more fiscally efficient.
Most recently, the Commissioners promised to implement recommendations from a third-party compensation study. The price tag on that promise included $3.5 million for sworn law enforcement staff. We were able to do this without a tax increase by allocating a portion of the funds that historically have been moved to the capital projects account each year, and adjusting project timelines to accommodate the change.
As the Commission Chair, I requested that all departments and offices take a closer look at their training and travel budgets. Throughout the County, our staff made meaningful reductions in this line item, which resulted in significant savings.
I also implemented a change from contracted public relations services to an in-house department, saving nearly a quarter of a million dollars annually.
I worked to eliminate an entire department and consolidate the front-line employees into another department to alleviate duplicated management costs. And in the Commission office, we set the example of reducing unnecessary costs by eliminating a full-time position.
I commit to continue to be a trusted steward of your money.
Housing Affordability
Many Weber County residents are unsuccessfully trying to achieve the dream of home ownership. There are two factors driving housing affordability beyond the reach of many younger Weber County residents who want to stay in their hometowns.
First, the lack of housing inventory drives prices up. Weber County has worked with developers to provide starter homes to teachers, first responders, military personnel, and first-time home buyers. I am committed to continue to provide these kinds of opportunities for home ownership. My role on the WACOG Housing Subcommittee provides an avenue to work with city leaders to help each municipality find their appropriate contribution to the housing crisis.
Second, undue government regulations are tacked onto the final price for new homes. In our planning policies, I strive to streamline the development process to make sure that no unnecessary regulations are in place for builders that will drive up home prices even more.
I commit to do the hard work necessary to ensure that our children and their families can put down roots here in their hometowns.
Water
Water is a top priority for current and future generations in our changing communities. I have worked on planning policies to minimize water usage in development. And as we work to recruit businesses to Weber County, water usage is a top factor in businesses we seek to attract. In our land use approvals, we never allow development without the ability for those developments to be served water. As a county, we also share opportunities for conservation education. We want to provide every resident the resources needed to be responsible stewards.
I commit to continue to make water conservation a top priority in residential and commercial development in Weber County.
Economic Development
We have been successful in securing grant funding for expansion of infrastructure in the western part of the county. While we know that this is necessary to draw commerce, we are also committed to attracting companies that fit our county. This includes making sure that these businesses are not high water users. We are acting responsibly as we work on decreasing taxes for homeowners by shifting the burden to healthy companies.
We adopted a policy to standardize participation in tax incentives. We know that the County's participation is vital, but we want to be responsible with tax dollars. Now when cities come to us for participation in their tax increment financing, they know what to expect from the County.
I commit to continue responsible economic development and strengthen relationships with city and state leaders to create exactly what we want in Weber County.
Public Involvement
Our newly created public relations department is in my portfolio of responsibility. Not only are we saving the taxpayers a quarter of a million dollars by bringing this in-house, our public outreach has improved tremendously. We have thousands of native emails receiving our newsletters. We have increased social media engagement significantly. And I have been personally responsive to all residents who reach out to me.
There are hard conversations to have. While it's impossible to appeal to all residents, it is possible to seek understanding and to be understood. My goal is to listen to and address concerns and to help our residents understand the reasons behind what we do at the county.
I commit to continue engaging with all residents and to respond to emails and phone calls in a timely manner.
Homelessness
One of my assignments for the past three years has been to chair the Local Homelessness Council. We have a phenomenal group of nonprofit and quasi-governmental service providers who work together to help our residents who are experiencing homelessness. I continue to lead this group of professionals and we analyze our greatest needs in Weber County and navigate filling those gaps.
We adopted a strategic plan and created several subcommittees to help better serve these individuals. We are working on data-driven decisions when it comes to funding opportunities.
I commit to continue to work with community members to help the unsheltered and provide the connections needed to help them become housed.
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