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Commissioners act to spur TSPLOST work
Penny
It has been estimated that Effingham County’s one percent TSPLOST will generate $45 million over five years. - photo by File

SPRINGFIELD — Effingham County commissioners are taking a proactive approach to get much-needed road improvements started this spring.  

Last November, voters approved a one-percent Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (TSPLOST). Instead of waiting for the pennies to trickle in over the next five years, commissioners approved a proposal for securing general obligation transportation sales tax bonds from Key Government Finance at a low interest rate of .793 percent. 

By securing these bonds, the county will have funds readily available to put the road improvement jobs out for bid and start construction as quickly as possible.  This plan will bring relief to the approved areas most in need of repaving and improvements in the next several months.

County Commission Chairman Wesley Corbitt stated his approval of the accelerated process and that he “looks forward to seeing the improvements made possible by TSPLOST funds.”

TSPLOST funds will augment the county’s existing resources, and will only be spent on transportation improvements. The cities of Rincon, Guyton and Springfield were responsible for determining their project lists, and Effingham County identified transportation improvements for the unincorporated areas of the county.  These proposed project lists were approved by the city councils and commissioners during their regular meetings. 

For more information about TSPLOST and the approved projects, please visit Effingham County’s website, at http://www.effinghamcounty.org/ and click on the interactive tool called TSPLOST Explorer. 

Effingham County Ends 80-Year Partnership with Live Oak Libraries
Plans to Start Independent Library System; Library Board Chair Erica Biezenbos Removed
Live Oak Public Libraries
Live Oak Public Libraries attorney Wade Herring addresses Effingham County commissioners during Tuesday’s nearly two-hour hearing on both the removal of Library Board Chair Erica Biezenbos and the county’s decision to split from Live Oak, as a capacity crowd of supporters fills the room. (Mya Taylor / Effingham Herald)

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. — After a rowdy, more than two-hour public hearing Tuesday night, Effingham County commissioners voted unanimously to end the county’s more than 80-year partnership with the Live Oak Public Libraries system and to remove Library Board Chair Erica Biezenbos.

Commissioners plan to establish a new,  county library system.

The audience — made up almost entirely of Live Oak supporters — erupted in boos as commissioners cast their votes, finalizing a decision that will fundamentally reshape the future of local library services. No member of the public spoke in favor of ending the partnership.

The vote ends Effingham’s decades-long affiliation with the Savannah-based regional library system, which oversees branches in Rincon and Springfield. The split will not take effect until June 30, 2026.

“It’s a nine-month process,” County Manager Tim Callanan said after the meeting.

Financial review and county rationale

The decision followed months of review into the county’s financial and administrative relationship with Live Oak. The county recently completed a detailed review, led by retired school librarian and media specialist Nate Ball and retired CPA Wesley Corbitt. Their analysis found that Effingham’s library funding is significantly higher than comparable counties, largely because of administrative overhead. County officials said the change will allow Effingham to reduce administrative costs, gain greater local control, and reinvest savings into staff, programs, and facilities.

“This is about finances,” commission chairman Damon Rahn said.

Critics warned that leaving Live Oak could cost the county access to a large portion of its physical collection and specialized programs, including literacy resources, early childhood initiatives, and partnerships with Savannah-area museums.

More than a dozen Live Oak supporters challenged the accuracy of Ball’s and Corbitt’s audit and expressed concern about potential censorship. They urged commissioners to postpone the vote until a full financial and transition plan could be presented to the public.

“You need to take a minute and give the community time to process,” one supporter said. Commenters also expressed concern about the impact on low-income residents, seniors, and other members of the community who regularly rely on the library. 

Live Oak supporters also accused commissioners of back-room dealing, claiming that Ball — a former grade school media specialist hired under a consulting contract approved in December 2024 — was promised the library director position with a proposed salary of $120,000.

The public hearing grew heated at times, with residents frustrated over both the process and the potential impact on the county’s two library branches. At one point, Rahn had to warn audience member Ivy Gibbins to stop interrupting or she would be removed.

Ball’s and Corbitt’s audit indicated the county could save up to $373,000 annually by operating its own system. Consultants assured commissioners that core statewide resources — including PINES (the statewide library lending network) and GALILEO (Georgia’s virtual library system) — would remain available under any new arrangement.

Live Oak Public Libraries
Erica Biezenbos answers questions from the county’s attorney, Edward Newberry, during Tuesday’s hearing on her removal as Effingham County Library Board Chair. (Mya Taylor / Effingham Herald)

Commissioners pledge reinvestment

County commissioners promised that the libraries would not close and that, according to the agreement with Live Oak, resources and staff would remain available in each branch. They emphasized that the $373,000 in projected savings would be reinvested into library operations.

“We want to reinvest in our board and libraries,” Commissioner Roger Burdette said. Burdette, who in 2023 expressed concerns about LGBTQ-themed materials in Effingham libraries, sought to address fears that he intended to censor library content.

“Why would I wait more than a year,” he said, “if that was my plan?”

He added: “No one wants to get rid of library services.”

Commissioner Jamie DeLoach said, “I want to keep Effingham dollars in Effingham County. Reinvest the money in our services and people.”

Commissioner Beth Helmly praised the passion of Live Oak supporters. “We can make a good library system ourselves. Many of you say we can’t do it without Live Oak. I say we can,” she said.

The commission also voted unanimously to remove Biezenbos as library board chair and replace her with Sherry Duff, citing repeated procedural and oversight failures.

Attorney Wade Herring, who represented Biezenbos and Live Oak during the hearing, argued that commissioners could not remove Biezenbos without due process. The county’s lawyer, Edward Newberry, said the county’s bylaws give commissioners the legal authority to remove her.

New allegations surface ahead of vote

On Monday, the day before the public hearing, a new letter alleged that top county officials orchestrated a plan to separate the libraries without proper legal authority or public transparency. The claims added to the debate surrounding the county’s long-standing partnership with Live Oak and fueled criticism from supporters of the regional system.

If you missed Tuesday’s meeting, you can watch the full proceedings on the county’s YouTube channel.