FARMINGTON — The Franklin County Budget Advisory committee voted Wednesday to set the 2016-2017 county budget at $6,100,574.

The figure approved at Wednesday’s 5:30 p.m. meeting by the committee is $140,678 less than the $6,241,252 budget proposed by commissioners. The budget committee’s figure represents $4,209,526 in county expenditures and $1,891,048 for the Franklin County Jail.

A significant difference in the figure approved by the committee and the $6.2 million proposed by the commissioners is the elimination or reduction of several program grants that the county provides to area agencies. Directors completely cut the request of Tri-County Mental Health, which requested $20,000.

The committee cut the request of the Western Maine Community Action Program by $3,000, and agreed to give them $30,000. The request of the Greater Franklin Development Corporation was cut by $22,000, for a $20,000 award. Seniors Plus, which requested $34,000, was granted $20,000. The adult Basic Education program requested $22,557, and the budget committee granted them $10,000. Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice requested $20,130, which the budget committee cut by $10,130, granting them $10,000.

The requests of the Franklin County Children’s Task Force, Western Maine Transportation, Androscoggin Home Care and Hospice, Franklin County Soil and Water, and the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Agency were awarded in full.

Also included in the approved budget figure was the across-the-board elimination of a 2 percent cost-of-living pay increase for the county government’s non-union employees.

The committee also approved the restructuring of annual salaries and benefits for the county’s three commissioners. The budget committee set a flat pay rate of $12,000 per commissioner per year, $2,979 more than what was requested by commissioners. However, the committee recommended cutting the benefits offered to commissioners by $15,895, allocating $18,149 in funding toward their benefits rather than the $34,044 requested by commissioners.

On June 30, the county commissioners will meet at 9 a.m. to take action on the budget set at Wednesday’s meeting. The only way the commissioners could alter the budget adopted by the budget committee would be by a unanimous vote. If the budget is changed by the county commissioners, the budget committee may reject the changes by a two-thirds vote of its membership.

Lauren Abbate — 861-9252

labbate@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @Lauren_M_Abbate