Sound off

Dallas residents can help shape future of libraries via online survey

Dallas libraries want residents' input.

This time, it's okay for library goers not to be quiet. Dallas residents who care about the future of the city's library system can make their voices heard in a survey accessible online through the end of the month.

The City of Dallas, Dallas Public Library (DPL), and Friends of the Dallas Public Library (FoDPL) have launched an online questionnaire to gather resident feedback and insights into the use of Dallas public libraries. The input gathered, they say, will help inform plans for new models of library service in response to budget reductions that the library system currently faces.

"The City of Dallas, DPL and FoDPL encourage all City of Dallas residents to complete the questionnaire and to share it with their networks and communities to help inform future decision-making about DPL," says a release.

The online questionnaire can be taken in English and in Spanish, and paper copies will be available at Dallas Public Library locations.

The 29-question survey is multiple choice and wide ranging. It starts with questions about how much individuals use the library system, how informed they feel about its services, and whether city funding should be increased or decreased.

Several questions are based on this premise: "Dallas Public Library is considering a new regional service model that would create five Flagship libraries located across the city and close four neighborhood locations. These Flagship libraries would be open seven days a week, offer extended hours, and provide additional programs and services. The remaining neighborhood branch libraries would continue to offer core services."

Currently proposed for closure are the Arcadia Park, Skyline, Renner Frankford, and Oak Lawn branches.

Survey-takers are asked whether they support or oppose the proposed model, what would change their view, and whether the specific branch closures would affect them. They're also asked for input on additional services the libraries can provide.

The survey will close on February 26, 2026.

Find the full survey link here.

survey library

SAFE SPACE

5 Dallas neighbors dominate 2026 list of safest cities in Texas

Facebook/TrophyClubPublicSafety

Who wouldn't feel safe in Trophy Club with this guy around?

A new report says the Dallas suburbs are home to some of the safest cities in Texas. Home security review site SafeWise has ranked Trophy Club, Parker, Melissa, Murphy, and Colleyville on its recent top-10 list of towns unburdened by crime worries.

Trophy Club bests every other city, topping the charts at No. 1. Parker follows right behind at No. 2, Melissa is No. 4, Murphy ranks No. 7, and Colleyville comes in at No. 9.

For its 2026 report, SafeWise factored in FBI-reported property and violent crime data for 343 cities, then adjusted it for population to fairly compare metros to rural and suburban towns. (Data for the Texas cities can be found here.)

Although the rankings do provide a snapshot, the site says “a number of factors, including local agency reporting practices, community resources, prevention efforts, and lived experience all influence how safe a place is (or is perceived to be).”

North Texas cities have tended to do well in "safe city" surveys in recent years. Arlington and Fort Worth scored top-10 spots on a ranking of America's safest large cities last fall. SmartAsset ranked Frisco and McKinney among the nation's safest suburbs in a 2025 list.
The Safewise rankings were released with its State of Safety survey, which found that perception didn’t always gel with reality. Although the statewide property crime rate of 23.4 incidents per 1,000 people is slightly higher than the national rate, Texas’ violent crime rate of 4.44 incidents per 1,000 people is consistent with the national average.

Still, Texans feel less safe than the average American. Only 49 percent of the survey’s respondents say they feel safe in the state compared to the national norm of 52 percent. 55 percent said they worry about their safety on a daily basis, a year-over-year increase from 52 percent. The data contrasts with first-hand reporting. For the second year in a row, Lone Star State participants said they have had few personal experiences with property crime and package theft.

The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan statistical area had the most ranked cities on the SafeWise list. The full top 10 includes:

No. 1 — Trophy Club (Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington)
No. 2 — Parker (Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington)
No. 3 — Memorial Villages (Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land)
No. 4 — Melissa (Dallas-Fort Worth)
No. 5 — Fair Oaks Ranch (San Antonio-New Braunfels)
No. 6 — Whitehouse (Tyler)
No. 7 — Murphy (Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington)
No. 8 — Fulshear (Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land)
No. 9 — Colleyville (Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington)
No. 10 — Lumberton (Beaumont-Port Arthur)

safety suburbs crime rankings trophy club dallas suburbs