FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a proposed $1.16 million budget for the unorganized territory for 2019-20, county Clerk Julie Magoon said.
The action followed a public hearing on the proposal, which is $33,152 more than the current budget. The majority of the increase is due to increases in snow removal contracts, she said.
The proposed budget will now be sent to the state unorganized fiscal administrator for review. It will then go to the state Legislature for consideration of approval.
After factoring in revenue, the tax assessment would be $976,795, according to Magoon’s information.
If the spending package receives Legislature approval, the budget would go into effect on July 1, 2019.
In other business, commissioners voted 2-1 to take no action on a request to use $40,000 from the county’s tax-increment financing funds for economic development, but to leave the matter on the table, county Financial Manager Vickie Braley said.
Charlie Woodworth, executive director of Greater Franklin Development Corp., previously went to municipalities in the county asking for a vote of confidence to gain support for the tax-increment financing funding request.
Woodworth told Jay selectpersons in September the TIF funds would match the $45,000 the council had raised this year. The majority of the Jay board voted in favor of writing a letter to commissioners to support the funding request.
Commissioners Terry Brann of Wilton and Chairman Charles Webster of Farmington approved taking no action while Commissioner Clyde Barker of Strong opposed, Magoon said.
Two other motions, one to fund the full amount and one to fund $20,000 from the TIF, were made but died for lack of second, Braley said.
Commissioners want to see Woodworth involved in creating jobs and bringing in new business, Magoon said.
The county had previously funded the council for $60,000, with $30,000 coming from the county budget and $30,000 from Kibby wind project. The TIF targets economic development in the unorganized territory. Over the years, the county decreased funding. There was no funding for the council in the county’s regular budget this year, but there is money in the TIF.
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Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to approve a $1.16 million budget for the unorganized territory for 2019-20. The budget now goes to the state for review. In this file photo, from left, are Commissioners Terry Brann of Wilton, Chairman Charles Webster of Farmington and Clyde Barker of Strong. (Sun Journal File Photo)
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