Forced by Jackson County’s recent actions and a ticking clock, county commissioners decided on Tuesday to initiate the process to pull Macon County out of the Fontana Regional Library system.
The Macon County Board of Commissioners originally planned a “lighter” agenda for Tuesday’s meeting led by the $69.9 million budget for fiscal year 2026-2027. Instead, library issues dominated the discussion before the meeting even began.
Commissioner Danny Antoine said he was “flooded with hundreds of emails” regarding library issues in the past few days, and other commissioners noted the intense interest in the advisory board appointments as well as recent actions on collections policies.
Ending FRL agreement about “dollars and cents”
Commissioner Barry Breeden laid it on the line after public comments concluded.
When Jackson County pulled out of the FRL it took 51% of the funding for the regional system, he said. With Swain County only providing 6% of the shared funding, Macon would be responsible for the lion’s share of the bill which amounted to approximately $400,000 per year.
“It does not make sense to stay in the FRL and pay hundreds of thousands of dollars. I don’t see how that makes sense. We’re propping up another library,” Breeden said.
County attorney Eric Ridenour said current FRL agreements require withdrawal notices a year in advance of leaving the system, which made June 30 the absolute deadline for the current cycle.
With that, Breeden called for Macon to give notice to FRL that it intended to withdraw from the system, seconded by Antoine.
The resolution passed 4-1 with Commissioner Gary Shields voting against, stating that he felt he did not have enough financial information provided.
Antoine repeatedly reminded attendees at the meeting that this only initiates the withdrawal process and Macon has an entire year to finalize a decision.
Following Tuesday’s meeting, Breeden and Antoine said that Jackson county had forced the decision despite recent assurances from commissioner Josh Young that it would remain in FRL.
Young said Jackson county’s abrupt decision to complete its withdrawal had thrown Macon “under the bus.”
County Manager Warren Cabe pledged to work with Swain County to figure out how Jackson’s actions would affect bottom lines in FRL and how to cost out an independent Macon County public library that would include reimbursements from the FRL. He also noted the need for notification to be provided to the statewide system to remain compliant for grant funding separate from FRL.
The public reaction following the meeting was a mix of surprise on the FRL withdrawal and the decision to hold off on new board appointments.
Amy Medlock, who gave an emotional account of how the library had provided her with resources as she withstood adversity in her younger years, said she was heartened by Breeden’s motion that the advisory boards hold off on policy moves while the restructuring begins. She was also appreciative of the wide turnout of citizens who were advocating for library issues.
Bill Trick, who also spoke at the meeting from a very different perspective, said the decision to leave FRL made sense from a financial perspective.
Board representation to be reviewed
Breeden also proposed putting off any advisory board appointments to allow time for board restructuring. He called for greater geographic representation on the board that has been dominated by members from Highlands, and a halt to policy changes recommended by either the Macon County or FRL boards until the restructuring was completed.
Ridenour confirmed the Macon County Library Board of Trustees could legally operate with a quorum of six members.
Dozens of local citizens showed up on Tuesday night with several seated in the overflow room where they waited for their turn to speak. Few anticipated that the discussion would turn to the future of the FRL as the meeting started out.
Some spoke about what they perceived as a lack of transparency in the processs used to evaluate potential board members. Others related the importance of libraries in providing resources to guide them through difficult periods of life and asking for a diversity of backgrounds for board members.
A retired lawyer warned commissioners that actions the advisory board was contemplating could create expensive litigation issues for the county if they ran against First Amendment rights.
A number of speakers called for continued work on reforming the current library system and reappointing the three members – Diann Caitlin, Leah Gaston, and Jason Bohner – whose terms were up for renewal in June.
Patti Trick said she felt the process that Caitlin, Gaston, and Bohner had started years ago and it was “like renovating your living room” in which you start with a smaller project, find more things to repair, and suddenly have a huge overhaul underway. John deVille countered that he saw their work as more of “a demolition” than a renovation.
