Macon commissioners approve standalone Fontana regional director, set public hearing on election-system bill
Loading...
Summary
The board approved requiring the Fontana Regional Library director to be a standalone position and voted to reimburse unused cooperative funds proportionally; lengthy debate followed on other FRL amendments and a separate resolution to change Macon's election system, for which a public hearing was scheduled Feb. 10.
The Macon County Board of Commissioners spent significant time on proposed amendments to the Fontana Regional Library (FRL) interlocal agreement and related governance issues. County Manager Cabe summarized three changes Jackson County had proposed: ending dual roles for the regional director, returning unused contributed funds proportionally to counties at year-end, and requiring one FRL board member from each county to be a sitting county commissioner.
Commissioners asked whether all three amendments must be approved together; county attorney and staff explained the interlocal agreement requires all participating counties to accept amendments for changes to take effect. Commissioners also asked for clarification about whether a regional director would receive additional pay. An FRL representative told the board the regional director had historically received an additional stipend on top of county librarian pay and that the dual-role practice began roughly 20 years ago for financial reasons.
On a motion by Commissioner Breeden, seconded by Commissioner Antoine, the board approved that the regional director "shall devote full professional effort to the Fontana Regional Library and shall not simultaneously hold a director position or comparable executive role in any other participating county" — the motion passed 5-0. The board also approved language requiring that any remaining funds in excess of operational cost be reimbursed to contributing counties in proportion to contributions (motion by Commissioner Antoine, seconded by Commissioner Shields; vote 5-0).
A separate proposal about mandatory commissioner representation on the FRL board drew more disagreement. Commissioners raised practical concerns that FRL meeting times conflict with commission meetings, making mandatory commissioner membership impractical; a motion related to that item failed 1-4. The board discussed next steps and public input.
Separately, the board debated a proposed resolution to seek a local bill from the North Carolina General Assembly to change Macon County's commission elections to three single-member districts plus two at-large seats, with staggered terms so each area has more frequent opportunities to run. County Attorney Bridal said the General Assembly would need the resolution by March to consider it during the April short session; he also explained voter-referendum options and statutory limits on the choices available to voters. Commissioners ultimately voted to schedule a public hearing on that resolution for Feb. 10 and to continue work on a detailed implementation timeline.
The board's votes on the FRL amendments and the schedule for a public hearing on the election-resolution keep the process moving: the regional director item and reimbursement language are approved locally; other governance changes will be revisited depending on FRL board action and further public input.
