At A Special Called Meeting On June 24th, The Jackson County Board Of Commissioners Voted To Withdraw From The Fontana Regional Library System, Ending A 74-Year Partnership.
The Vote Came On The Heels Of A Tense Joint Meeting With The Fontana Regional Library Board Of Trustees. While That Meeting Was Intended To Foster Compromise, It Instead Exposed A Clear Divide, With Most Commissioners Pushing For Changes From The Library System.
In The End, The Board Voted 4 To 1 In Favor Of Leaving. Chairman Mark Letson Cast The Sole Dissenting Vote, Expressing Concern About The Potential Costs, The Timing Of Recent Board Appointments, And The Lack Of Recent Book Challenges That Had Sparked Earlier Debate.
Following That Decision, Commissioners Turned Their Attention To The County’s 2025 Fiscal Year Budget. Initially Proposed With A Property Tax Rate Of 32 Cents Per $100 Valuation, The Budget Marked A Roughly 4.5 Percent Spending Increase. Though Technically A Lower Tax Rate Than The Previous Year, The Impact On Property Owners Would Still Be Significant Due To Rising Property Values.
Commissioners Jennings And Hooper Voiced Concern Over The Tax Rate And Pushed For Reductions. Former Commissioner Ron Mau Also Questioned The Absence Of A Revenue-Neutral Rate In The Original Proposal. That Information Was Later Posted To The County Website In A Separate Document.
County Manager Kevin King And Finance Director Darlene Fox Presented Revisions During The June 24 Meeting. They Identified Nearly $2.9 Million In Savings, Allowing The Property Tax Rate To Be Reduced To 31 Cents. The Reductions Included Cuts To Fire Department Paving Allocations, Elimination Of Some Animal Control Positions, A Middle School Resource Officer, And Lower Contributions To Capital Reserves And The Greenway Fund.
The Revised Budget Passed Unanimously.
