FARMINGTON – Commissioners voted 2-1 Tuesday to let the sheriff spend $6,775 from a building reserve account to align and increase the number of stations at the Franklin County Dispatch Center.

Gary McGrane of Jay opposed the move.

Verizon is in the process of conducting a state upgrade of the center’s 911 equipment to handle wireless calls, now handled by state police dispatchers, which will include a GPS system that can identify where the cell phone call is coming from.

Franklin County commissioners previously agreed to spend $7,900 from the building reserve account to build an 8- by 16-foot addition to house the equipment at Franklin County Sheriff’s Office where the dispatch center is located.

Sheriff Dennis Pike said some of the renovations had to be started prior to the commissioners’ vote because Verizon workers needed anchored walls to provide electrical connections for the new equipment. He had been prepared to present the proposal May 15, but that meeting was canceled.

The dispatch area will be expanded to hold four dispatch stations with the equipment being paid for by the state. All dispatch personnel will be on one side of the building.

The value of the equipment to replace the existing three stations is $187,000, Pike said. The fourth station will also be covered with additional equipment.

There would be two active dispatch stations with the third available to be manned, he said. The fourth will be a station for Supervisor Melinda Caton, who will also be able to dispatch if needed.