Dallas Public Library announces branch closures during city furlough days

The Dallas Public Library announced that all locations will be closed for the three City furlough days.

The first closure is Friday, July 10, according to a social media post shared by the library system on Monday, July 6. These closures come after the City of Dallas announced furlough days for employees to combat the City’s budget shortfall. 

The mandatory, leave without pay days include July 10, Sept. 4 and Sept. 28, and will affect over 4,200 non-uniform General Fund employees. The decision was made by City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert.

“Managing the City’s annual budget is the responsibility of the City Manager, and she takes this responsibility very seriously,” Mayor Eric Johnson said in a press release. “I know that she did not make this decision lightly, and over the next month, I trust that she will continue to keep the council informed on current budget conditions and present a balanced proposed FY27 budget in August.”

The last time Dallas furloughed employees was during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Texas Tribune. 

Other services that will be closed include community centers, namely the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, and city administrative offices. Emergency, sanitation, utility, aviation and parks services will remain open and unaffected.