Pike County fiscal court acknowledges Pike County Library District FY26 budget; libraries served as disaster-recovery hubs

The Pike County fiscal court acknowledged receipt of the Pike County Library District’s fiscal-year 2026 budget on June 16, 2025. Library director Delana Adkins and bookkeeper Rusty Tackett presented the budget to the court; the court recorded its acknowledgment by roll call.

“My name is Delana Adkins, and I'm the director of libraries. I've been with the library system 30 years,” Adkins told the court while introducing the district’s leaders and trustees. She and other trustees discussed that the FY26 budget begins July 1, 2025, and that staff expect to operate within projected revenues. Bookkeeper Rusty Tackett said branch programming is growing and “it’s all free,” citing classes and activities across branches.

Judge Beth Jones and other officials credited the library system with serving as disaster-recovery and information centers following recent flooding. Emergency Management Director Nee Jackson told the court staff from the libraries made facilities available for FEMA and recovery operations and that the county was preparing to request an extension to continue operating regional recovery centers into July.

The court voted to acknowledge receipt of the FY26 budget by roll call: Commissioner Scott — yes; Commissioner Atkins — yes; Commissioner Lewis — yes; Judge Beth Jones — yes.

During the discussion, Judge Jones and other officials credited recent legislative changes that altered library board appointments and said tax rates for library services have fallen, a claim attributed in the meeting to elected officials involved in oversight changes. The court did not adopt the budget at the meeting; it acknowledged receipt of the document for the public record and administrative purposes.