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Opinion

Columbia County Observer sees a community still searching for answers

Karin Parham

Date: December 08, 2025
By Karin Parham

As Columbia County moves forward with new data center zoning rules, residents continue to question whether early secrecy and limited engagement have eroded public trust beyond what a new ordinance can repair.

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The Columbia County Management and Internal Services Committee approved moving forward with the initial appointments to the Columbia County Library System. Those appointments are: • Connie Melear – countywide (Columbia County District 1 Commissioner) • Rusty Jarrett - District 1 • District 2 vacant • Secelia Brown – District 3 • John Luton – District 4 (Community Services division director) County Manager Scott Johnson said “As you know, now that Columbia County is going to have a standalone library board, we have to appoint new members. These members will need to begin work pretty soon, working on bylaws, the guidelines that are in place, we will need to hire a new regional director, so they do have some work to do.” The District 2 seat will remain vacant until after the District 2 Board of Commissioner seat is filled following the election on Nov. 4. Karin Parham, with the Freedom to Read Coalition of Columbia County, read a statement on their thoughts on the proposed library board members. “Our organization is concerned about the direction of the new Columbia County Library System,’ Parham said. “When county administration, through the Community Services division director, continues to manage library services operation while also placing that same position on the board that hires and oversees the library director, it creates a built-in conflict of interest. So even if direct supervision of staff changes, real control still rests with the county manager and the commission through the administrative link. That means the library’s independence only exists on paper and not in practice. So, we urge the county to establish a structure that keeps library government separate from county administration and political influence.” District 1 Commissioner Connie Melear said she wanted to be on the board to help guide it. “We felt like we needed somebody on the commission on there to help guide it and I’m looking forward to being a part of it. I haven’t participated much in the library aspect before and now this is my opportunity.” The committee approved moving the members to the full Board of Commissioners. Aa resolution to establish the Columbia County library fees fund was also discussed. “Historically, the Library Advisory Board had a fund that money would go into for late fees and other fees, with the sale of books and those sort of things. It’s grown into a pretty sizeable amount of money, so with the Library Advisory Board no longer in place, it’s incumbent upon the county now to establish a fund for that. Due to our fiduciary responsibility, I would ask that we would use this resolution to establish a special revenue fund that way those funds could continue to be earmarked for library operations and use.” The committee also approved moving forward with this resolution. The next Columbia County Board of Commissioners meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium at the Evans Government Center Complex.

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