Sharon Watson running for Lampasas County treasurer

By LYNETTE SOWELL
Cove Leader-Press 

Lampasas County resident and current Deputy County Treasurer Sharon Watson is looking to take one step higher in the ranks as she runs for the position of Lampasas County Treasurer.  
“The Treasurer’s office is not just keeping up with the county funds, but it is an intricate part of the daily routine of revenue and expenditures on the business side.  This office handles the County Payroll and the Distribution of Accounts Payable,” Watson said. “A lot of changes concerning payroll have occurred in recent years with the Treasurer’s office being responsible to keep the county within the Department of Labor laws.  Non-compliance could place the county in jeopardy with the Federal Government. In the last six years alone, we have had to deal with the Affordable Health Care, 1095cs, W-2s and Overtime laws, all of which require additional reports and documents.”
In the position of Deputy County Treasurer since 2012, Watson processes payroll every two weeks, audits and distributes the checks for accounts payable on the 1st of every month, and does the payroll billing as well as also cash receipts money collected from Adult Probation, Clerk and Justice of the Peace Reports, Septic Certifications and other monetary receipts.
“I have completely restructured and developed faster and more accurate processes for job tasks within the office by creating formulated spreadsheets for Journal Entries, cash closes and State Quarterly reports. By using existing county computer technology instead of purchasing expensive software, I created virtual folders into computer shared folders for the Accounts Payable and Payroll files. These virtual folders save time, space and money while allowing easy access on desktop computers in several county offices.
“As Treasurer, I plan to continue bringing modern technology to make a more efficient and accurate working office to serve the citizens of Lampasas, but at the same time keeping the friendly helpful attitude that makes the County of Lampasas so special.  I am very conservative with County funds and believe in utilizing what is available,” Watson said.
Watson has more than 20 years’ experience in accounting from working for an accounts payable firm to owning and operating her own business. Before working in the County Treasurer’s office, Watson worked as a temporary clerk for the Justice of the Peace office in Lometa, and then was hired full-time to the auditor’s office where she worked for two years processing accounts payable, bank reconciliations, journal entries and other auditing duties.  
A native of Fairfield, Texas, Watson and her husband, Dean, moved to Lampasas 10 years ago to his family’s ranch north of town where they raise a small herd of sheep.
“Lampasas has been like coming home to me. The people are so like my hometown that I have grown to love it as my new home,” she said.
Watson has been an active member of the Lampasas Republican Club for five years, serving on its Scholarship Committee which the club hopes to make available to Lampasas County students. She is also a member of the local Daughters of the Republic of Texas Oran Milo Roberts Chapter and also a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution Mexia chapter. 
Watson and her husband are active members of the Adamsville Baptist Church, and are slso members of the Adamsville Volunteer Fire Department, where she also serves as treasurer and helped the organization acquire a $5,500 grant through the Texas Association of Counties Risk Management Program for the AVFD to buy equipment. Copperas Cove residents who live in Lampasas County will be going to the polls in March 2018 for the primary election.