FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted 2-1 Tuesday to not take $58,001 raised in two previous budget years to pay three nonprofit organizations.

The Budget Advisory Committee made the request June 23.

Prior to getting into the budget, commissioners recognized Penny Camfferman of Wilton who retired after 33 years of service to the county. She has served in a variety of positions, including as a part-time deputy, a corrections officer, manager of the Sheriff’s Office, all the while being a dispatcher. For the past 12-plus years has been a full-time dispatcher.

Commissioner Chairman Terry Brann of Wilton presented her with a plaque.

Regarding the nonprofit organization, commissioners did not give $18,000 to the Western Maine Community Action agency raised in the 2018-19 budget and $30,000 in 2019-20 budget. They also did not give $10,000 raised in 2019-20 to Western Maine Transportation Services and $1 raised as a place holder for SeniorsPlus the same year to allow the agency to return the following year to request funding.

Commissioners did take additional money from the undesignated fund previously to offset taxes because the money was raised through taxation.

Commissioner Clyde Barker of Strong opposed not paying the agencies while Brann and Commissioner Lance Harvell of Farmington voted in favor.

Barker said, if it were a business the money would be paid. Brann said the agencies were told several years ago that the county was going to stop funding them. They sent letters to the agencies about the decision four or five years ago.

Fenwick Fowler of Farmington told the commissioners the way he understood it, the budget committee put the money in the budget to pay the agencies.

County Finance Director Vickie Braley said money cannot be put in the 2021-22 budget for money owed from previous years.

Braley said the budget committee wanted commissioners to take the money from the undesignated fund.

Barker’s motion to pay the agencies failed for lack of a second.

Since the vote was not unanimous the issued died and will not be brought back to the budget committee, according to officials. The $58,001 is not in the budget.

Commissioners approved a $7 million budget that included 2% increases for nonunion employees. Braley redid the figures after Brann and Harvell voted to change the cost of living increase from 3% to 2% Thursday.

The Budget Advisory Committee will take up the commissioners’ changes at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the county building. It will take six of the nine members to override commissioners’ changes.

Braley also tweaked some of the other figures, including a wrong amount factored into the budget for the new human resource director/administrative assistant. The position pay $25 an hour for 37½ hours a week. The amount was changed from $38,870 to $48,750.

Register of Deeds Susan Black said her salary was cut by the budget committee and her deputies will make more than she will. Commissioners did not change the number but told her they would talk after the budget was passed. There is $15,000 in the commissioners’ budget for pay adjustments.

Commissioners have not kept up with a pay structure developed in 2018. It was supposed to be looked on a yearly basis, Brann said.

It was created from a survey and and in some cases did not factor in the correct number of hours people worked.

“The structure was being used for new hires. It was never updated for other employees,” Black said. “I can’t have my deputies making more than me.”

Barker said the survey was “throwing us all off” and wanted to get rid of it.

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