Skillman Southwestern Branch Library in Northeast Dallas could receive enough funding to remain open — pending Dallas City Council's approval of a proposed amendment to its fiscal year 2025-26 budget.
The $5.2 billion budget is set to be approved by the city council Sept. 17.
Skillman Library was at risk of closure as early as this month. An amendment by Council Member Paula Blackmon would reallocate $386,612 from American Rescue Act funding toward the library, allowing it to be open eight hours for three days a week.
Blackmon spoke in favor of keeping Skillman open some days versus closing it down completely and leaving a vacant building in the neighborhood.
"I really would love to have it for a whole year, or at least till the process happens and we decide on a new model," Blackmon said.
Dallas' Library Director Manya Shorr said Skillman performs about halfway on the city's user list, which records checkout rates, program attendance, and other resource offerings.
Shorr also noted that the Skillman library is small, poorly designed, and just over one mile from the Vickery Park Branch Library.
That close proximity was why Council Member Cara Mendelsohn spoke against the proposed amendment.
The Vickery Park Branch Library opened in 2021. Mendelsohn said the Skillman library should have closed with the new library's opening.
"Libraries are a fabulous amenity, I'm a big library fan and supporter," Mendelsohn said. "However, we can't have a library for every single neighborhood. That doesn't even make sense."
This year's proposed budget lowers the city's property tax rate from 70.47 cents per $100 valuation to 69.97 cents.
Because of the proposal to lower the property tax rate, Council Member Adam Bazaldua
But Council Member Adam Bazaldua said it would be worth spending the money to save the only library that is proposed for closure if the budget allowed it.
"I don't believe that it is productive for us to pass a budget that is actually leaving taxes on the table while closing neighborhoods' libraries, especially without a plan," Bazaldua said.
He added that he wanted a long-term strategic plan to figure out how to address the city's library system without singling out specific branches.
Ten council members signaled their support in the "straw poll" during the briefing, which is an unofficial vote that serves to show if an item has favor.
Bazaluda and Blackmon supported the amendment along with council members Laura Cadena, Zarin Gracey, Jaime Resendez, Paul Ridley, Kathy Stewart, Chad West, Gay Donnell Willis, and Lorie Blair.
This is not the first time Skillman has risked closure.
Last year's budget included a proposal to close the library as well, but an amendment approved by the city council kept it open for another year.
Residents created a petition last year to keep Skillman open and it reached around 3,000 signatures. It's been revived this year and had just over 3,700 signatures as of Thursday.
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