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Hitchens eyes six lanes for Ga. Hwy 21
Rep. Bill Hitchens gestures during a 2021 address to students and a few administrators in the Effingham County High School media center.
- photo by Mark Lastinger/staff
Mark Lastinger
Effingham Herald
Published: Oct 18, 2022, 9:58 AM
GUYTON — The question was hypothetical. The answer, however, was concrete,
During Thursday’s Effingham County Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum at South Effingham High School, Georgia House District 161 Rep. Bill Hitchens was asked what would top his agenda if he was handed Speaker David Ralston’s gavel at the start of the next legislative session in January.
“Well, the first thing I would do ... is get Georgia Highway 21 six-laned,” Hitchens said. I’ve been working on that for about five years now — myself, (House Majority Leader) Jon Burns and (former District 4 Sen.) Jack Hill before he died.”
Hitchens is frustrated that the project has not moved forward.
“We have done over $400 million worth of other projects in my district but that one seems to be a sticking point,” he said. “I’ve got promises and promises but ...”
Hitchens noted that he drives on the congested highway frequently. Part of his district is in Chatham County.
“My district was the third-fastest growing district in the state in the last Census,” Hitchens said.
The representative, initially elected in 2012, believes the Effingham Parkway will ease some traffic woes in Effingham County, especially in the western portion. Set to open in 2024, it is funded by a combination of state and local funds.
“Typically, we don’t get state money to do county roads,” Hitchens said. “Jon Burns, Jack Hill and I were able to get $43 million to get that going ...”
Hitchens said the ongoing suspension of the fuel tax is cutting into the state’s ability to fund highway projects.
“It’s 27 cents a gallon for gasoline and 35 cents a gallon for diesel,” he said. “When you’ve got 11 million people in your state and all the visitors are buying fuel, that’s a substantial amount of money.”
Hitchens said he understands Gov. Brian Kemp’s reasoning for suspending the tax.
“It was well intended,” Hitchens said. “He wants to, during these inflationary times — the cost of fuel has gone up substantially — look out for the citizens in this state and I understand that.”
In closing, Hitchens, a Republican, touted his commitment to transportation, law enforcement and veteran concerns. He serves on the Appropriations, Public Safety and Homeland Security, and Defense and Veterans Affairs committees. The former Georgia State Patrol adjutant, a Vietnam War veteran, was first head of the Georgia Department of Homeland Security.
“If we don’t support our law enforcement community, I don’t know what we have,” Hitchens said.
NOTES: Democrat District 161 candidate Margo Barbee didn’t attend the forum.
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)
Paul Kasko
Updated: Oct 8, 2025, 2:55 PM
Published: Oct 8, 2025, 3:46 AM
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.
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.
