Rich County deputies say pay raise is needed to help with recruiting, would require property tax increase

GARDEN CITY – Many people would love to call the Bear Lake area home.

Brian Willmore sure loves it here.

“It is a place where I don’t worry about my kids walking down the street,” Willmore said. “I don’t ever see myself living in a big city anymore.”

For as much as he loves living and working here, Willmore admitted things have been tougher lately.

Like in most places, the cost of everything has increased. Housing, food, and gas prices have gone up to the point where Willmore is thankful he has family in the area to help him.

“I couldn’t do it without their help,” he said.

It is also why Willmore is asking for a pay raise.

“We are trying to get more help to protect the community and higher pay so that we can recruit the officers up here that need to be around,” he said.

Willmore is a deputy for the Rich County Sheriff’s Office, which he said is among the lowest law enforcement salaries in the state.

“I could (go) to another county nearby and make at least $10 more an hour,” he said. “I want to live and work here, though, because I know the people here and they know me.”

The pay issue is why Willmore and his fellow deputies met with the Rich County Commission earlier this month. He even wrote a letter to the local online newsletter.

The deputies are asking for a pay raise to at least stay competitive with nearby agencies, as well as salaries to hire at least two more deputies to help with the workload.

“The pay is not everything but it is a lot of it,” said Deputy Tom Wahlberg, who also spoke at the Rich County Commission meeting. “We have to provide for our families and we do have to live here.”

The additional deputies would also help to create school resource officer positions, which the local school district wants to have in their schools.

“The recruiting is extremely difficult,” Wahlberg said. “I have a bunch of friends in law enforcement who said they would love to come up here and work. They said they would leave their agency in a heartbeat, but when they find out I am making literally half of what they are, they say there is no possible way they can do it.”

Rich County is well known as a place for second homes and cabins for many Utahns. Garden City is also an area that sees a lot of growth during the busy summer season.

Right now, there are four deputies in Rich County.

Willmore and Wahlberg said it is not enough.

“When you have got that many people coming up here, accidents happen and people need help,” Wahlberg said.

“We are very busy, but even when we are off, if the call comes for help, we respond to it because we care about the community,” Willmore said.

Rich County Commissioner Bill Cox said he would love to give deputies a $10 an-hour raise to match what other agencies could pay, as well as hire two more deputies.

However, he said the budget just isn’t there.

“We would be looking at around $600,000. To put that into perspective, just with our property taxes, that would be around a 50 to 55% increase in property taxes,” Cox said.

He also wondered how other county workers would respond if a raise was given to just the sheriff’s office.

“You can’t just give one department a raise and not look at every other employee,” Cox said.

It is an issue many counties and cities across Utah are looking at.

“A lot of people suggested we get grants to help pay the salaries, but you don’t hire people with grants and you don’t give them wage increases and benefits on grants because if you get a grant this year, next year, what do you do? It has to be a long-term solution,” Cox said.

Willmore said he understands the situation but also feels a lot of people, especially those who own the second homes in the county, don’t know how low the pay is for law enforcement officers.

He thinks if more people listened to the numbers, they would be okay with a property tax increase.

“I guarantee they don’t realize this county is only covered by four deputies plus the Sheriff,” Willmore said. “Nobody wants a property tax increase, but if they are going to, people should understand that the money is going to what is said. If they pick up the phone at midnight and they call 911, they are going to have a quick response from law enforcement to whatever is going on.”

“I consider myself very fiscally conservative and I appreciate not raising taxes just for the sake of not raising taxes,” Wahlberg said. “However, there is a certain cost of being in a community. If someone needs help, I want somebody who is the best trained, best equipped, and knowing that they are going to be able to do the job.”