FARMINGTON – Farmington Downtown Business & Professional Association members asked Franklin County commissioners Tuesday if they would be willing to share some of the county parking spaces for downtown workers.

Nichole Dustin, chairwoman of the organization’s Promotions Committee, said the group did a study on the lot next to the county courthouse abutting Church and Main streets to determine how many spots county employees’ use.

There are 19 spaces, and on average about eight spaces are used, which leaves quite a few open, Dustin said.

The organization is not talking about opening the spaces to the public, she said, but perhaps holding a lottery for businesses to take turns for their employees to park in those spots.

Commissioner Fred Hardy of New Sharon said that county employees come and go, and may work part-time and come to work at different times. He also said the district attorney covers three counties but when he’s in Farmington he needs a parking space.

Hardy asked if the county gives up those spaces, where would county employees park?

When superior court is in session three spaces for sheriff’s transport vehicles for inmates are needed, another space for a judge, and when jury selection or trials are in progress parking is scarce, county Clerk Julie Magoon said.

“Commissioners don’t even have a space,” Hardy said.

The spaces are assigned to county employees and not all employees have a space, Magoon said.

“Parking is becoming a real premium downtown and it’s becoming worse,” association President Mike Mansir said.

Bill Marceau of Foothills Management purchased the former Rexall building, which houses several offices, apartments and businesses. He plans to designate 18 spots on his property for tenants, spaces most people previously considered to be free municipal parking.

Bruce Miles, another member of the association, said they were not looking for an immediate answer.

He said they are trying to work out a solution leaving time-limited spaces for customers and to find places for businesses’ employees to park.

It’s not an attempt to take parking away from county employees but to use it in the most efficient way, Mansir said.

Commissioner Gary McGrane of Jay suggested a shuttle could be set up to allow business employees to park outside the downtown area and shuttle in.

“I think we would be open to a proposal,” McGrane said of a parking plan. They would either shoot it full of holes or find a way to make it work, he said.

Commissioners previously agreed to open the county lot after 4 p.m. and on weekends for public parking.

In other business, commissioners voted to extend the contract with Evergreen Behavioral Services to provide services to inmates at the county jail. The three-year pact will cost $79,500 for the first year for 2009, $84,000 for 2010 and $88,200 for 2011.

There is an opt-out clause in the contract.

The board also gave Assistant Jail Administrator Doug Blauvelt a $51.90 bi-weekly raise to bring his salary to $1,441.26 every two weeks. Jail Administrator Sandra Collins asked that it be retroactive to Nov. 2 since Blauvelt’s probationary period had ended then, but commissioners rejected that and made it effective as of Jan. 1, 2009.

Commissioners also approved the Budget Committee’s $1.69 million budget for six months of county operations. After adding jail costs now overseen by the state, the total budget commissioners approved was $2.48 million.

They also voted to give nonunion employees a 4 percent cost of living increase as of Jan. 1.