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Columbia County approves resolution to form county library system, dissolves advisory board
Summary
The commission approved Resolution 25-20 to withdraw from the Greater Clarks Hill regional system, create a five-member Columbia County Public Library System and immediately dissolve the county Library Advisory Board; a resident urged continued public input.
Columbia County commissioners approved Resolution 25-20 to establish a Columbia County Public Library System, withdraw the county from the Greater Clarks Hill regional library, and dissolve the Columbia County Library Advisory Board effective immediately.
The measure creates a new five-member county library board, with members to be named later, and ends the existing advisory board’s meetings. County staff recommended approval and a commissioner moved and seconded the item on the consent agenda; the motion passed.
Supporters at the meeting said the resolution formalizes the county’s separation from the regional system and sets up a local governing board. The resolution text presented to commissioners listed three outcomes: create the new Columbia County public library system, officially withdraw Columbia County from the Greater Clarks Hill region, and dissolve the Columbia County Library Advisory Board effective immediately.
During public comment, resident Karen Parham said dissolving the advisory board felt premature because it removes an existing mechanism for public feedback and cancels upcoming advisory meetings. “It kind of feels a little bit preliminary to dissolve the Columbia County Library Advisory Board, considering that we haven't named anybody to be on that new regional library board,” Parham said, noting that members of the public had planned to speak at scheduled advisory meetings. Parham added, “We're not gonna go anywhere. We're still gonna be showing up. We're still gonna speak out against it.”
A county representative confirmed that advisory-board meetings scheduled in the near term, including a July 8 meeting referenced by Parham, would no longer occur under the advisory-board structure and that public input would instead be received through the commission’s public-comment process.
No other formal conditions or timelines for appointing the new five-member board were specified in the presentation or on the consent item materials.
