FARMINGTON – Franklin County commissioners voted 2-1 Wednesday to approve a $4.87 million spending package for 2008.

The budget now goes to the county’s Budget Committee for review before it goes to public hearing in December.

The plan represents a 4.39 percent increase over the existing budget before factoring in anticipated revenues, County Clerk Julie Magoon said.

Commission Chairman Gary McGrane of Jay voted against the proposal because he opposes the Sheriff’s Department dispatch communications budget, which included money for an additional dispatcher.

Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ray Meldrum said the need for another dispatcher is to cover a third dispatching station at peak times. Call volumes are up, he said, because the county is handling all wireless 911 calls and taking on emergency dispatching for Jay this summer.

Residents in Jay voted in June to have the county provide the dispatch services rather than have the town provide them.

The proposed dispatch communications budget for next year is $432,383. That reflects an increase of $42,603, including $23,421 for the additional dispatching position, a 2 percent increase for contract negotiations coverage and an additional $7,500 to cover possible signing bonuses for contract negotiations with the union.

The person in the new dispatch position would also assist the dispatch supervisor with data entry, fill utility shifts and leave shifts of other full-time dispatchers during vacations, holidays, and sick absences as much as possible while working a non standard work week, Meldrum stated in a budget explanation.

The additional position is beyond the point of “wishing we had one; we need one,” Meldrum said.

McGrane said that he wished the county had continued talking with Somerset County about having that county provide some services. He also said he’d rather see overtime paid to existing dispatchers than to add a new position.

“I think it’s cheaper to pay overtime,” McGrane said. “I agree the volume of calls is increasing, but I don’t think the number of emergency calls are.”

Sheriff Dennis Pike said dispatchers have persevered since taking on Jay and wireless calls.

“My people have done an excellent job. They don’t have lunch that often,” he said.

Two people who left said it was because of the extreme workload, Pike said.

Pike added that if the county downgraded from a public safety answering point and merged with another county and become a satellite, they would still have to have someone manning the dispatch stations and they would not get $300,000 to $350,000 in equipment that would be needed.

Commissioner Fred Hardy of New Sharon agreed, saying that even if Somerset County was the PSAP, they would still need people at the Franklin County center.

Commissioners unanimously approved a $1 million sheriff’s department budget that reflects a $40,078 increase over the existing budget. It includes 3 percent cost-of-living raises for nonunion workers and to cover union negotiations a 2 percent wage increase and an additional $16,500 for possible signing bonuses.

The board also approved $1.35 million for the jail, which is $135,547 more than this year. That budget covers a possible 2 percent raise in union contract negotiations and an additional $21,000 for possible signing bonuses. It also includes $16,500 more than the $23,500 budgeted this year for medication for inmates, $7,000 to retrofit an aging sewer pump system and pumping and $30,000 for the jail roof.

The Budget Committee plans to tour the jail, sheriff’s department and dispatch center at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20, before making a budget recommendation.