Public Safety
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"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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.