Twiggs County Public Library May Close Doors Two Weeks After Grand Opening

JEFFERSONVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Twiggs County Public Library may be closing its doors, just two weeks after its grand opening.

Twiggs County Library staff is on pins and needles, wondering if they’ll have to hop in the unemployment line.

Billy Humphries runs the library and says the library’s board set money aside, but never planned on losing funding.

“I have to admit we never anticipated the county commission just entirely stopping the funding,” Humphries said.

“We’re keeping enough back to pay the water bill and a few other incidentals because we feel like eventually we’ll be open or at least hope says we’ll be open. But at the moment we simply don’t have enough to pay the bills.”

The $1.15 million dollar facility gets money from the city of Jeffersonville, Twiggs’ school board, and the county.

Earlier this week, Humphries was informed they were being cut off.

He says it’ll cost around $48,000 to keep the library’s doors open.

County commissioner Donald Floyd says the board didn’t anticipate cutting funding, but says the library is over budget this year.

“The county doesn’t have money to throw away. It doesn’t have money to be extravagant with. But I think we’ve got enough money, we can find enough money, to operate the library,” Floyd said.

Dozens of residents like Danny Collins visit the library several times a week.

He’s disappointed about the facility potentially closing its doors.

“The library is something the community certainly needs. It’s a great benefit for Twiggs County and I would like to see it continue.”

Humphries says that can only happen, if the people in Twiggs County take a stand.

“If they don’t voice their concerns, they don’t show up at public meetings….I think you may see the doors close permanently,” Humphries said.

Twiggs’ Board of Commissioners have a meeting scheduled for next Tuesday. Humphries hopes the pending library closure is at the top of the agenda because on Tuesday, the library will be closed.