After about two months of discussion, Jackson County Commissioners voted on Tuesday night to leave the Fontana Regional Library System.
This vote will remove Jackson County from the regional library system, which includes six libraries in Swain, Jackson and Macon counties.
Commissioners have expressed frustration with LGBTQ library displays, sex education books and some library policies. Out of the five commissioners, there were four votes to leave the system and one no-vote (from Chairman Mark Letson).
Letson called on his fellow commissioners to give the majority newly-appointed library board a chance to work with the county and answer questions that were brought forward last week at the commissioners' first meeting with the FRL board.
“We see that Fontana has policies in place for child safety, for content, for all of the things that we've brought up as concerns,” Letson said. “We've had board turnover where in the last six months, we're watching as new members take on new responsibilities and roles and policies are being changed. Just from what we've gathered initially, it's going to cost us more in the long run, then it will if we remain within Fontana Regional Library.”
Letson also mentioned that while some have railed against certain library books, there have been no formal requests to remove those books from the library.
FRL confirmed that there have been no challenges in Jackson County's two libraries this year. The last challenge took place in June 2023.
Commissioner John Smith says he sees this vote as an “incentive” for the library to make changes.
“Without starting a clock on us getting out, I don’t see there’s any incentive for them to do anything. I think at this point, we need to start the clock and that will give them a year for these new board members to change the director or make changes,” Smith said.
Smith is referring to the one-year “unwinding” process for Jackson to be removed from the library system. Written notice from any county wanting to withdraw is due July 1 and will be completed by June 30, 2026.
Commissioners Michael Jennings and Jenny Lynn Hooper both stated that they wanted to leave the library system so that Jackson County could have more control over the direction of the library's policies.
“Personally I feel like that the county needs to govern their own library,” Hooper said.
There was no public comment during the meeting.
At previous county commission meetings, County Manager Kevin King shared that if the county leaves the FRL system, the county will need to pay at least an additional $500,000 to run the library, plus additional costs for the transition.
The 2024 FRL regional agreement explains that if a local government removes itself from the system, shared library resources will stay with the library system. If a building or other property is owned solely by the county, it will remain with the county.
Following the vote, FRL Acting Board Chair Cynthia Womble said the break-up will cost taxpayers more money and she hopes elected commissioners will “continue” the dialogue over the year. She sent a statement to BPR, which she said reflects her own viewpoint, not a formal statement from the board as a group.
“We had hoped that the joint meeting offered the Jackson County commissioners a path to a lawful resolution of their concerns. I am disappointed the Jackson County Commissioners voted to pull out of Fontana Regional Library,” Womble said. “I believe this decision will negatively impact all three counties and wind up costing more. Over the coming year, the Board of Trustees would like to continue a dialogue with Jackson County to execute the responsibilities of the regional agreement with respect to their departure or to their remaining in the region.”
Macon and Swain County both currently have ongoing library construction projects. Swain County is working on a $6.8 million expansion of the Mariana Black Library in Bryson City.
