Dallas hopes to bring back funding for a popular northeast library

Earlier this week, the city of Dallas announced that a northeast Dallas library was in jeopardy of being closed due to city budget cuts.

The Skillman Southwestern Library was slated for closure in the proposed 2024-25 Dallas city budget. The community and Council member Paula Blackman have been fighting to restore $485,000 to save it.

On Wednesday, the Dallas community held a meeting where the Dallas City Council decided that they may be diverting money to keep the library. The approval is tentative and won't become official until the city council approves the final budget on Sept. 18.

Blackman said the outpouring of support from the community was what pushed her to fight for the nearly 20-year-old branch.

"I didn't realize how excited and how energized the community was until you tell them that you're gonna take something away," Blackman said.

The city council had recommended closing it earlier this year due to budget cuts, but now they’re saying they’ll try to find a way to keep it open. The big question is still where the money, nearly half a million dollars, will come from.