During a Fannin County Board of Commissioners meeting on July 24th, Joe Webb, speaking as Chairman of the Fannin Public Library Board of Trustees, announced that unless the Fannin County Public Library receives more public donations or money from another source besides the County, it will have to close its doors for a total of 10 hours starting in August. In his announcement Webb stated that due to state required health insurance increases the Fannin County Public Library Board of Trustees had requested the County make a commitment to pay for the extra increases in 2013 or provide an extra $2500 in the third quarter and fourth quarter of its 2012 budget for a total of $5,000. The main reason Webb said for the request is because the state calculates a Fiscal Year budget beginning in July, but the County calculates a calendar year budget beginning in January. According to Webb, this means that they have a budgeting balance of $10,000 for the next 12 months in Fannin County.

Webb then said that without the extra funds, the Fannin County Public Library will be forced to shut its door for a total of 10 hours probably for a whole day on Thursday beginning in mid August if no other funds can be found. An organization called Friends of the Library has already been helping the library stay open for additional 8 hours a week since the beginning of the year. Currently, the library is open a total of 48 hours a week, if the library were to close for an additional 10 hours, it would only be open for a total of 38 hours a week.

“I have to state that I have heard public comments and speeches that we have an $800,000 surplus. We had a half million dollar helicopter thing come back into the budget. We have two thirds of a million dollar of refinancing of the bond come back into the budget. Quite frankly, I can’t see by the line items where that money is. So if the public states there is an $800,000 surplus in one of the political campaigns, I would think we would be able to find at least $2500 to get us through to the next quarter,”

said Webb at the end of his announcement.

In response to Webb’s announcement, Chairman of the Fannin County Board of Commissioners Bill Simonds explained that the County also has a problem with the Family Connection organization, the local food pantrys, and the Health Department. Simonds then said that the Health Department already closes a day and that he thinks the County should focus on Family Connection and the Health Department before focusing on the library. Simonds then suggested that the library organize a County Umbrella with neighboring counties to pay for health and retirement benefits, something he said Fannin County previously had to do for a public defender in a partnership with Pickens and Gilmer County.

However, Webb said that the library had already tried this solution and that state law requires continued maintenance from local governments. Webb also said that the state also has a moratorium on independent libraries at the moment and a capital requirement of $425,000 in initial operating capital before they will consider an independent library.

“So the only way we can get there is to have the state lift the moratorium on independent libraries and then have them wave the financial obligations of having an independent library,”

said Webb.

Simonds responded by saying to Webb that he understood the situation but unfortunately the County does not have the money.

According to Rita Kirby, the Fannin County Clerk and Finance Director, the County already gives the library a total of $167,720 a year to pay for things such as salaries and supplies.

Also in the meeting, the Fannin County Board of Commissioners approved a variance request to Gail Janney of Ballewtown Road. The request was for a proposed garage to be placed ten feet from a property line instead of the required fifteen foot setback. Chairman Simonds also said that the County had 1277 emergency 911 calls this month, a number Simonds expressed was too high. When asked about the 911 calls, Simonds told FYN he didn’t know why the number was this high, but he felt like there had been an abuse of ambulance services.

Simonds also said that no parking signs have been added to the entrance of Fannin County’s music event Pickin’ in the Park to control parking. Simonds said that last week cars were parked on the side of the road leading up to the park and there was not enough room for emergency vehicles.

Lastly, Simonds said that a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house will be held for Life force, the fourth helicopter base of Erlanger Hospital, on August 10th at 10:00 a.m.

“If you haven’t been down there, you might want to see how they operate it,”

said Simonds,

“That’s one of the better things that has happened to Fannin County in a while.”