FARMINGTON — After residents on Tuesday approved building a new 911 dispatch center for Franklin County by just 27 votes, Commissioner Gary McGrane said he will ask for a recount.

Since preliminary returns have the estimated $598,300 project passing by such a slim margin, McGrane said he plans to ask the other two county commissioners to rethink how much should be spent on the new dispatch center.

Based on unofficial voting results, the project was approved 2,062 to 2,035, according to county officials. The turnout at polls represents about 18.5 percent of the 22,038 voters in Franklin County.

If the vote totals are confirmed Friday, McGrane said he “would not consider it a mandate and would expect that the other county commissioners would further review” Tuesday’s outcome and whether they should scale back the project.

“I think the scope of the project has to be revisited and what we have now is a split populace,” he said.

Commissioner Fred Hardy on Wednesday said he will wait for the official returns from the voting before deciding whether a recount is warranted. He added that the approval would only authorize spending up to the estimated amount, which is subject to change when contractors compete to build the new structure.

County officials expect to confirm the vote totals Friday and commissioners are scheduled to meet 9 a.m. Tuesday. McGrane, of Jay, plans to seek the recount and project review at that meeting.

If the project spends $598,300, the county would take out a 15-year bond to pay for the new dispatch center.

The owner of a $100,000 home will pay about $1 per more per year to cover the annual debt, which is expected to be between $50,000 and $60,000 per year for the county.

Hardy, of New Sharon, described the new building as vital to better accommodate dispatchers’ equipment as well as maintain the county’s status as a public safety answering point, which allows them to handle local emergency calls instead of having them routed to other communities.

The third commissioner, Clyde Barker, of Strong, did not return a call Wednesday.

The current dispatch center, which shares space with the Franklin County sheriff’s department, has been the topic of lengthy debate over space shortages in county government offices.

Hardy said the cramped dispatchers’ space in the sheriff’s office fails to meet guidelines tied to keeping the center in the area. He noted the state has threatened in the past to take over unless the problems at the center are addressed.

Tuesday’s proposal to build a new dispatch center was the second attempt by county officials to address the issue. In 2010, voters rejected a $4.46 million plan to relocate most county offices and build a new dispatch center.

McGrane, who has criticized the other two commissioners for backing Tuesday’s proposal, said there are state laws that trigger mandatory recounts when elections are decided by extremely narrow margins.

He didn’t know if the same laws applied to the county referendum, saying he plans to seek advice from county officials at Tuesday’s meeting. Eric Conrad, a spokesman for Maine Municipal Association, wouldn’t comment on the situation, but said there may be a county charter that controls recounts there.

In the months spent planning the project, McGrane has accused county officials of wasting money and ignoring the will of voters by pushing the plan to build the new dispatch center. He preferred a plan to renovate empty space in the county-owned jail building, saying it would save at least $100,000 compared to building another structure.

Hardy and Barker have both said renovating the jail was researched extensively and rejected by nearly every other county official besides McGrane.

Hardy on Wednesday said he is open to discussing the concerns raised by McGrane about Tuesday’s vote, but added he wouldn’t support a recount if the vote total is confirmed Friday.

He described the new dispatch center as a necessary project, saying it would be premature to talk about changes before contractors submit bids to do the work.

“As far as I’m concerned we’re going to build this thing as reasonably as possible, and we still have to send it out to bid and (the cost) could go lower,” he said.

David F. Robinson — 861-9287

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