FARMINGTON – The Franklin County Budget Committee will hold a public hearing Monday on a proposed $4.9 million budget for 2009-10.

The hearing, which is expected to be followed by a vote, will be held at 7 p.m. at the Farmington District Court building on Main Street. The hearing usually is held at the county courthouse, but there will be a trial there that week, County Clerk Julie Magoon said. District court is diagonally across from the county courthouse.

The Budget Committee’s spending plan represents a $52,149 increase over the current budget and $61,528 less than the County Commission’s proposal of $4.96 million. Departments had requested $4.97 million.

The difference between the Budget Committee’s proposal and commission’s is the removal of $50,000 for a building study, which does not need to be included in next year’s budget, Deputy Clerk Charisse Keach said.

County commissioners agreed to Western Maine Community Action’s request of $49,500 while the Budget Committee agreed to flat-fund the agency at $33,000, Keach said.

Committee members added $7,000 for new vehicle purchases for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department. The amount was initially $65,000, but Chief Deputy Ray Meldrum asked commissioners to add money to the amount after new cruiser bids came in at about that much this year, leaving little to outfit vehicles with police equipment.

Keach said the Budget Committee eliminated $628 in dues for the National Association of Counties because members felt it wasn’t beneficial. The committee also decreased commissioners’ mileage from $3,817 to $1,500, she said.