FARMINGTON – Franklin County commissioners voted late Tuesday to include no more than 2 percent across-the-board raises for employees in the 2007 budget.

Earlier Tuesday afternoon, commissioners approved budgets for some departments that included a 3 percent pay increase and for others 2 percent.

Sheriff Dennis Pike said Wednesday that he asked commissioners Tuesday why the Emergency Management Agency, treasurer and probate received 3 percent and anyone associated with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department received 2 percent.

“I wanted to know what I was supposed to tell my people when they asked why some departments were getting 3 percent and they weren’t,” Pike said.

What perturbed him, Pike said, is that department supervisors went to commissioners prior to putting a budget together to get guidelines on cost-of-living increases to include in the budget and they were given the amount of 3 percent to be discussed at budget time.

Commissioner Gary McGrane of Jay made the motion to include no more than 2 percent for cost-of-living increases to make it fair, Commission Chairman Fred Hardy said Wednesday.

Hardy had opposed 3 percent increases all along during early budget deliberations Tuesday, saying he would like to give no more than 2 percent.

Budget deliberations continued Wednesday and county Clerk Julie Magoon said the changes should be calculated by Thursday afternoon to determine the commissioners’ recommended budget for next year.

Then the county Budget Committee will review the $4.8 million in department requests and make its recommendations.