The City of Ridgeland has signed a standalone contract with the Madison County Library System (MLCS) to avoid causing the Ridgeland Library to shut down.
Ridgeland Board of Aldermen met for a special session on Monday night and signed the contract, which granted third-quarter funding to the library that was initially withheld due to Mayor Gene McGee’s objection to LGBTQ+ books being available in the children’s section of the facility.
McGee claimed he was unaware that the MLCS had signed standalone contracts with other cities such as Flora and Madison, and that Ridgeland could follow suit. The mayor had the city’s attorneys review the contract and gave his approval to proceed with it and to make payments to the MLCS.
Now that the contract has been approved by both the city and the MLCS, the Ridgeland Library will no longer have to worry about suspending operations on October 1 as they had initially planned.
