Weber County commissioners used the Dec. 15 work session to review remaining 2025 budget amendments and candidate changes for 2026, with staff noting several technical adjustments, an escrow receipt and proposed outlays that will appear on the public hearing agenda.

Why it matters: The work session included policy-sensitive funding decisions that affect staffing, capital projects and intergovernmental partnerships. Several items will be placed on the commission agenda for formal action at a public hearing.

Staff summarized 2025 items including the Shelter Hill escrow receipt (presented as roughly $7.09 million with much already released). They also reviewed increases to contract payments (including wildland fire support) and other housekeeping moves. For 2026, staff described candidate changes brought forward by departments or identified after the tentative budget: an increase in student-loan assistance spending after receiving 26 applications (the tentative allocation was $85,000), additional equipment requests for the animal shelter (an $80,000 generator was already in the tentative budget; an incremental ~$33,000 for cameras and laptops was requested), and contract reclassifications for paramedic heavy-rescue funding ($285,300 total to be allocated to staffing stipends, training, durable equipment and contract services per the paramedic chiefs’ committee).

Commissioners discussed options for handling the student-loan assistance surge (increase the appropriation or fund on a first-come, first-served basis), expressed support for additional animal-shelter cameras/laptops to address public complaints about transparency and case review, and agreed to let the paramedic chiefs' committee allocate heavy-rescue funds per operational needs.

Staff also briefed commissioners on impact-fee compliance: the county has five years to spend collected impact fees and staff identified a remaining trails spending need (about $158,000) for 2025. Staff proposed and commissioners discussed using impact-fee funds for the Ogden Canyon Trail (staff noted a proposed contribution in the neighborhood of $72,000–$100,000 and that UDOT and Ogden City are coordinating design and acquisitions). Several commissioners supported allocating $100,000 to help meet spending requirements and to advance the trail.

Other administrative items included paying property-owner right-of-way obligations related to 2200 Road (~$47,926) and a small $4,000 water-supply analysis for the sheriff’s medical wing. Commissioners asked staff to finalize items and place them on the public hearing agenda.

What’s next: Staff will include the 2025 and 2026 changes on the commission agenda for a public hearing and return with final numbers and contract language for formal action.