Swain Librarian Jeff Delfield learned through a text that Macon commissioners had voted to begin the process of leaving the Fontana Regional Library system in 2027.
The June 9 decision follows in the footsteps of Jackson County. Though Jackson commissioners cited concerns about LGBTQ+ material as justification, Macon County framed the vote as a financially prudent move.
Jackson will officially exit FRL July 1, following a fiscal year 2025-2026 demonstration period during which the county would continue to meet all state funding requirements, meaning the former partnership between Jackson, Macon and Swain counties will dissolve entirely if Macon’s board stays true to its decision. As a result, Swain County will be subject to the same year-long demonstration as Macon during a major renovation to its only library.
Delfield was far from the only impacted person learning indirectly about — and shocked by — the measure.
“I think everyone was caught off guard, except for potentially one or two people in Swain County,” said Cynthia Womble, who is a member of the FRL and Marianna Black Library boards.
“Macon County, at least one or two of their commissioners, had been on the record saying that they were not interested in leaving Fontana Regional Library all through the last year,” she added.
Swain Commission Vice Chair Tanner Lawson echoed that sentiment, recalling that Macon had planned to remain part of FRL, at least according to the county manager.
Financial considerations
While Swain County didn’t ask to be involved in this situation, Womble and Delfield worry it might face the largest challenges of any FRL partner.
The far-west county already has a much smaller budget than its neighbors, projecting about $26 million in revenues compared to Jackson’s nearly $109 million and Macon’s $68 million in 2026-2027.
Plus, said Womble, Swain County is mainly tourism-dependent, whereas Macon and Jackson are home to other industries such as tech, which provide tax revenue and resources.
Delfield said while Macon’s decision to withdraw might equally impact both counties, “[Swain’s] small tax base makes it a more difficult ask for our county commissioners.”
Lawson told The Smoky Mountain News that Swain County has been forced to allot significantly more money to its library for FY 2026-27 due to Jackson’s initial move to leave the system.
“In our request, there was an additional $79,937 to cover the FRL shortfall due to Jackson County leaving,” Delfield wrote in a statement to SMN.
He confirmed Swain County would incur further costs given a Macon departure.
Local governments have already been stretched by rising healthcare premiums. On average, employers have seen a 6.7% increase, double the rate of inflation, in health costs for workers. This comes as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act institutes an employment verification Medicaid requirement that according to the state Department of Health and Human services could cause 255,000 people to lose coverage. Hospitals experiencing reduced Medicaid coverage often shift the burden onto private and employer markets.
Because employee healthcare is funded through the yearly budget, rate hikes in the insurance market mean cuts to other services, a relationship not lost on Swain County commissioners.
Lawson estimated at a June 2 meeting that this year, insurance for all employees would require an additional $190,000.
“It hurts, but it’s also a necessity. [Insurance is] one of the ways we lure employees to begin with, that that’s one of the reasons they come to work for the county,” said county manager Tommy Dills on June 2.
Pulling the weight
In advocating for Macon leaving FRL at the June 9 meeting, that county’s commission chair, Josh Young, assumed because Swain County had been paying 6% of FRL’s total as a three-county partnership, that its contribution would remain at 6% after Jackson’s departure.
Delfield said those numbers are closer to 20% and 80%, respectively, for Swain and Macon. The latter county, furthermore, has three libraries.
And Womble argued against the idea that by exiting FRL, Macon County would be saving any money.
“I think that they’re not understanding that when you split [library services] up, it costs more. Because right now, we’ve got one really great, very experienced IT guy at Fontana Regional Library headquarters, and you can’t cut him in thirds to go to the three counties,” she said.
Delfield said partnership, especially in a rural area, makes for a better library.
“It’s the feasibility of having three counties together, sharing costs for all of the services we provide, only applying for grants together as three counties and having the matching funds to provide all these services,” he said.
But in the end, it comes down to local government having full jurisdiction of its libraries — material, events, circulation.
“Now, do you have more control [with a one-county system]? Sure,” Womble admitted.
“How much are you willing to pay for more control? I guess a lot, because that’s what the counties have decided,” she said.
Refund raises questions
With the broad claim of bringing money back to taxpayers, FRL board member Lori Richards, recently appointed to the Jackson County library board, presented a $1.35 million refund at an FRL meeting last month.
According to the proposal, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties would receive respective totals of $738,696, $525,402 and $86,213. While those figures might look enticing on paper, Womble said the plan raises a few major concerns.
“At least a good portion of the money that operates the Fontana Regional Library system does not come from the three counties,” she said, adding that FRL receives state and federal aid as well.
Womble is also worried the refund dips into the same pot of money funding Swain County’s Marianna Black Library renovation, something she was unable to decipher even at the FRL board’s June 15 meeting.
Richards’ plan, Womble said, is also inconsistent with the interlocal agreement that governs FRL.
“[The agreement] says if you pull out first then you walk away with almost nothing, and that if Fontana Regional Library dissolves, then the resources and assets are split three ways,” she told SMN.
Jackson proposed three interlocal amendments to Macon, Swain and the FRL board in late 2025, indicating that county commissioners might be reconsidering their choice to leave the system. Swain County, in hopes that the neighboring government would change its course, accepted each amendment. Macon County accepted two; FRL accepted one.
Swain commissioners in February received and approved revised set of Jackson County amendments. The first created a separate regional FRL director position while the second stated that “After each fiscal year ends, any funds remaining in excess of 25% (or lower) fund balance required by the Budget & Financial policy must be reimbursed to the counties.
“This reimbursement shall occur within 15 days after the board approves the final amended financial report for June 30th, but no later than September 30th. The amount reimbursed to each county shall be based on its actual net surplus, as documented in the aforementioned financial report,” the amendment continued.
A refund would not be contingent on audit completion and calculation of payables, as dictated in the original version.
Neither Swain County nor FRL have signed the amended agreement.
“The fact that Jackson County chose to pull out, knowing what was in the interlocal agreement, and then is making a grab at the last minute to take resources just didn’t sit well with me,” Womble said.
Macon County Commissioner Gary Shields on June 9 also referred to resources outlined in the interlocal agreement as justification to exit the system.
“By Jackson getting out,” he said, “I think that they think they forfeit a lot of assets of their library that go to will need to be divided between Macon and Swain, and so we’ll get those, we’ll get the benefit of that.
“Then, if FRL disbands, in other words, if Macon or Swain likes to get out, or both like to get out the following year, then they would have to divvy up the Fontana Regional Library assets.”
According to the document, “The Fontana Regional Library may be dissolved if two of the three participating local governmental unit parties withdraw.”
It does not include a timeline in which both exits must occur.
Moving forward
Womble said Swain County’s recent annual priorities — funding the Marianna Black renovation project and paying employees enough to encourage retention — meant it hadn’t planned for or formulated a response to the potential dissolution of FRL.
Plus, Swain County had received communication about the June 9 decision. Lawson said by Friday, June 12, Macon County had sent Swain commissioners only a letter of intent to withdraw from FRL.
“Jackson still has an opportunity to reconsider, and I don’t actually think that will happen. [But] it’s not reality until July 1,” said Delfield. “Macon County, they actually have until June 30 to reconsider their intent to withdraw.”
Delfield, however, is not overly optimistic; he’s already prepared to undergo a period of demonstration.
“The question is, will the services diminish? Will they step up to keep the services the same, or will the services diminish? And that’s what we’re going to spend the next year figuring out,” he said.
As for other library operations, Delfield has already got those figured out. For example, the Marianna Black renovation will not be impacted by neighboring county decisions.
“One year from today, we’ll have a beautiful, beautiful, basically brand-new building,” he said.
“We will be running a library on July 1, 2027. Period. You can quote me on that.”