Dallas libraries will remain open with reduced staff and hours
DALLAS - The city of Dallas is no longer planning to close neighborhood library branches. Instead, it will lay off library employees and reduce hours to balance the budget.
Dallas Library Layoffs
What we know:
The latest version of the city’s proposed budget no longer includes the closure of any neighborhood library branches.
But the city is now set to lay off 35 library employees, as well as eliminate a total of 72 positions. Neighborhood libraries will also be closed on Sundays and Mondays because of the cuts.
Five flagship library locations, including Vickery Park, Hampton-Illinois, Fretz Park, Pleasant Grove, and Bachman Lake will remain open seven days a week.
Residents lament Dallas public library closures on citywide furlough day
Dallas enacted the first of three mandatory furlough days on Friday, and residents hoping to spend summer hours at public libraries were disappointed to find them closed.
What they're saying:
"Keeping all the libraries open is great. And it shows that the city listened to the residents and in saying that it wanted to keep all of its branches [open]. But the $3.3 million cut is higher than what was expected," said Denise McGovern, with the Friends of the Dallas Public Library. "There's so many ways that the library benefits the city in information and opportunity and connection. And so, when the doors are closed and it's not available to people, it just really cuts that off."
Dallas Job Cuts
Dig deeper:
More city employees will likely lose their jobs soon.
On Monday, the city council’s committee on Government Efficiency questioned whether the city’s Department of Data Analytics and Business Intelligence needs all of its 38 positions.
Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn, who once questioned the department’s recommendation to close four public libraries, seemed to support a merger between the city’s human resources and civil services departments.
"Well, we’re having a meeting today about HR. I would have expected our HR director to be here," she said.
Dallas Park and Recreation Department proposes $13M in budget cuts; Community centers face closure
The Dallas Park and Recreation Department is proposing severe service cuts, including closing community centers and reducing park maintenance, to close a $13 million budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year.
What's next:
Town hall meetings on the budget get underway in Dallas on Tuesday. Residents have an opportunity to weigh in on the proposed budget.
The city council is set to vote on it on Sept. 16.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Monday's Committee on Government Efficiency meeting.