FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners Tuesday set a public hearing on the proposed nearly $3 million unorganized territory budget for 2025-26.

The hearing will begin at 3:30 p.m. Dec. 3 in the county courthouse at 140 Main St.

Commissioners also approved an anti-retaliation policy, a three-year contract for recording software for the Registry of Deeds, and tabled action for a second time on a policy to prohibit pets in county offices. Sheriff’s Office K-9s are considered county employees.

The draft unorganized territory budget is $990,329.60 more than the current budget. It factors in $750,000 for road/bridges reserve account. The county is in the process of replacing two bridges for an estimated $2 million total.

A second sheriff’s deputy position is also included in the proposal. There is a grant that will help pay for the position, if approved.

Half the property in the county is in the unorganized territory. State police stopped call sharing with the Sheriff’s Office several years ago, and more people are moving into the area. There is one deputy position for the unorganized territory. The budget for two deputies is $188,444.49, an increase of $75,644.49 from this year. The budget for cruiser equipment is $25,000, an increase of $12,500 from this year.

Once the unorganized territory budget is accepted by commissioners,  it will be sent to the state administrator of the unorganized territory. If approved there, it will be sent to the state Legislature for approval. If approved there, it will go into effect from July 1, 2025, and to June 30, 2026.

In other business, commissioners approved a three-year contract with Info Quick Solutions of New York for recording software for the Registry of Deeds for $43,200 each year, Susan Black, register of deeds, said.

Black sent requests for qualifications to six companies and received four, she said. The quotes ranged from $54,933 to $117,471.

The new software that will be used starting July 1, 2025, will be easier for the public, Black said.

In other action, commissioners approved an Anti-Retaliation Policy to “ensure a safe and supportive environment within Franklin County where employees can report concerns without fear of retaliation.”

Retaliation is defined in the policy as “Any adverse action taken against an employee due to their engagement in protected activities” including reporting discrimination, harassment, or other unlawful conduct.”

In a second policy matter, a proposal to that would prohibit pets in the workplace was set aside again, after being tabled in October.  Assistant District Attorney James Andrews told commissioners his office sometimes brings in a dog to help calm a person, especially a child, who has been traumatized by a violent crime to enable them to talk about what happened and testify.

Andrews said Tuesday that the wording hadn’t changed in the draft policy presented last month. He would like to have a narrow exception added for a dog to be in the DA’s Office for crime victim support.

County Administrator Amy Bernard said the policy addresses pets in the workplace. If a dog was trained and certified for crime victim support by the county, the dog would be a quasi-employee of the county. It could be addressed in a different policy.

The Sheriff’s Office has a K-9 policy that says trained dogs are also considered employees of the county.

Andrews said he would read that policy to see if it fits what he is talking about.