EUHARLEE, Ga. — The city of Euharlee is debating the funding of the city’s only library on June 2 during a meeting of the city council.
The director of the Bartow County Library System, Radha Ashok, says the “current council is considering significantly cutting the funding (nearly in half).”
The city of Euharlee currently contributes $70,000 or 2% of the library’s funding, with the majority of the funding coming from the county and state, Ashok said.
Ashok said last year, she asked for an increase in library funding, which had been stagnant since 2014. The city instead drew up a memorandum of understanding with the library system “to pay towards the maintenance of the building.”
In a survey posted by the city, 63% of the Euharlee residents have voted to keep the library as is.
“I want the community to speak up and also use their free library more,” Ashok said.
For a city of less that 5,000, the Emmie Nelson Library registered more than 7,000 visits, the library system director said.
When Channel 2 Action News asked about the library funding, Euharlee City Manager James Stephens said that “the city council evaluates the effectiveness of all services when considering continued financial funding.”
The city council meeting Tuesday starts with a work session at 6 p.m., followed by a business meeting starting at 7 p.m.
The agendas are posted online.
If the city council cuts funding, the library’s Board of Trustees will gather to make their decision on the library’s future.
It could lead to a reduction of services or closure of the library altogether “based on challenges we face beyond funding,” Ashok said.
The final Bartow County Library System budget for fiscal year 2027 is due to the State Library before June 30.
“The library provides much more than books, DVDs and audiobooks. Libraries are institutions that are early adopters of the new wave of technology,” Ashok said.
These asset include park passes, laptops, hotspots, the LearningExpress database for free SAT, ACT and GRE preparation, and much more.
Learn more about the library’s offerings at the Bartow County Library System’s website.
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