After a turbulent year, Fontana Regional Library trustees gathered at the Nantahala Community Library for their annual meeting.
Attendees may have noticed that the board seemed a bit light. This was the first trustee meeting with just six board members since three departed on July 1 when Jackson County left the system.
On May 12, the board passed a measure to provide member counties, including Jackson, with a reimbursement of “surplus funds.” The plan was to nail down the exact numbers and answer some questions FRL attorney Austin Von Henner had before finalizing the distribution and getting that money out the door.
However, on July 1, a superior court judge granted a preliminary injunction on the behalf of Swain County that barred the library system from taking any action on the distribution pending litigation. Swain County’s claims are that the fund distribution runs counter to the interlocal agreement that bound the three counties and the library system, which would “unjustly enrich” Jackson County. A third claim maintains Swain County is entitled to “a declaration that the Defendant lacks authority to distribute the funds authorized by its formal Board action on May 12, 2026,” as well as “a declaration of the parties’ obligations and rights under the Interlocal Agreement.”
During public comments, Swain County resident Fred Crawford recommended that the board set aside its May 12 vote to give money back to Swain, Jackson and Macon counties in light of the lawsuit and potential increased operating expenses with Jackson County’s withdrawal from the system.
“Instead, direct staff to prepare what Fontana Regional Library needs to operate successfully as a two-county system, and preserve these assets until the board has a clear understanding of its long-term financial obligations,” he said. “As trustees, your responsibility is not only to yesterday’s decisions, but today’s realities and tomorrow’s needs.”
FRL Board Chair and Interim Director Bill McGaha addressed the matter briefly, essentially just letting the public know that he would not comment on pending litigation and the board would take no action pending the court’s final ruling on the matter.
McGaha also spoke to the search for a new library system director in the wake of the departure of former director Tracy Fitzmaurice earlier this year. With Jackson’s exit and Macon’s expected withdrawal, getting a director willing to serve for just a year has been a tough task, but McGaha noted that there have been two applications that have come in for the position. He added that those individuals requested their applications be held until Macon County makes its decision. He also said there are two prospects for interim director with whom he was hoping to schedule interviews soon.
Because July 13 was the board’s annual meeting, it appointed new committee members and elected new officers, something that was much easier when the board had nine members. To make the numbers work, those committees now have just two members each instead of three, with McGaha in his interim director role serving as an ex officio member of each committee, or as he put it, a “referee.”
Finally, the board chose to keep its officers the same — Kathy Smith, of Macon County, will serve as secretary; Cheryl Taylor, of Swain County, will be the vice chair and McGaha, of Macon County, will stay on as chair.
McGaha also introduced a new board member, Justin Greene. Greene was appointed by Swain County commissioners to replace former Trustee Cynthia Womble on the board.
In a brief introduction, Greene, a sitting district court judge originally from Swain County, said he believes that “everybody is and should be welcome at the library.” He made it known that he doesn’t want to see any major action taken by the board, as Macon County is slated to leave in July of next year. He said he’s generally opposed to any “grand sweeping gestures.”
“FRL has tended to govern itself, and it ought to govern itself the same way,” Greene said. “If it’s going to die, it ought to die like it lived, with some dignity.”