FARMINGTON — The Franklin County Budget Advisory Committee is set to decide Monday whether to accept or override county commissioners’ $10.6 million budget for 2024-25.

The committee is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. upstairs at the county courthouse.

Franklin County commissioners voted unanimously on May 7 to approve their own budget of a combined $10.6 million 2024-25 budget for county government and the jail. The spending plan includes an additional $100,000 at the request of county Administrator Amy Bernard to comply with a new U.S. Department of Labor law, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025. Bernard previously explained the new minimum wage and overtime rule, which goes into effect in July, will affect certain exempt salaried workers who make up to $43,888. Starting the next year, that threshold increases to $58,656.

The budget panel had approved a $10.6 million budget in late April without the additional $100,000 to comply with the law.

The Budget Advisory Committee would need at least six of nine members vote against the commissioners’ spending plan to override it.

The state law governing the county’s budget states that the budget committee’s actions are final and are not subject to further
action by either the county commissioners or the advisory committee.

The differences between the budgets are that commissioners included a 3% increase for a cost of living wage for nonunion employees and only three months of training for a new employee for the Register of Probate Office. No one has been hired for the position. The budget panel included enough money for a 4% increase for nonunion employees and an additional three months of training for a new employee. The longtime deputy register of probate plans to retire but as of April 29 had not given commissioners a date.

Regardless of what the budget committee does, commissioners have the sole authority to give raises and make employee determinations.