Apr. 29—FARMINGTON — The majority of the Franklin County Budget Advisory Committee on Thursday set a combined budget of about $10.6 million for the the jail and county government.

The proposal will go to commissioners at 3:30 p.m. May 7 at the Franklin County Courthouse, 140 Main St.

To change the budget, commissioners must vote unanimously to do so and send it back to the budget committee for reconsideration. It would take six of the nine members, or two-thirds, to vote to override the change.

The package includes $7.4 million for general government and nearly $3.2 million for the jail. The increase is $921,217 for government and $280,574 for the jail. After estimated revenues are added in, the tax assessment would be about nearly $6.2 million and nearly $2.9 million, respectively.

The differences between the budget committee and commissioners plans include the 4% cost-of-living increase for nonunion employees. Commissioners proposed a 3% cost-of-living raise.

The budget panel also added in an additional three months of pay for a new employee in the Register of Probate Office to make it six months. Initially, Register Heidi Jordan asked to have a new employee for a year to train how to do the job along side a deputy register and herself. Commissioners reduced the time to three months of training. The deputy register plans to retire. The county has not advertised for the new employee.

More work is coming into the probate office, but at the same time revenues have increased. In the 2023-24 budget, it was anticipated that Registry of Deeds would bring in an anticipated $75,000. In the 2024-25 budget that starts July 1, the revenues are projected at $90,000 for the office.

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