CORINTH — City leaders are unlikely to increase Corinth’s contribution to the Lake Cities Library for the coming year, Mayor Paul Ruggiere said Friday.

Ruggiere

Corinth contributed $96,892 last year and, so far, plans to contribute the same amount next year.

The allocation could affect the library’s proposed expansion plans, since Corinth contributes the largest portion of the budget shared by all four Lake Cities.

During budget talks this summer, representatives from the Lake Cities Library board of directors told the city councils of all its member cities — Corinth, Hickory Creek, Lake Dallas and Shady Shores — that the time has come to expand.

The library’s current building in Lake Dallas is about a quarter of the size needed to serve the area’s population, according to widely used standards set by the Texas Library Association.

Board representatives told city leaders that the library’s best option may be leasing space at Cornelius Town Center in Hickory Creek. That would double the library’s footprint; however, they acknowledged that option would still fall short of the 24,000 square feet the library needs to be.

Last month, Hickory Creek town leaders called for a Lake Cities summit to tackle the problem.

Ruggiere said that it never hurts for city leaders to get together and talk, and that he hopes the library board doesn’t make any hasty decisions in the meantime.

“The argument is very clear that the library is woefully undersized,” Ruggiere said. “It’s been under-funded for many years.”

However, since the investment for expansion is so much greater than current funding levels — the library asked for $175,000 more from Corinth over the next two years — Ruggiere called for a broader view.

“We don’t need to do anything to disrupt the library,” Ruggiere said. “We need to talk to residents and get a clear vision of what we want.”

PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881. Her e-mail address is pheinkel-wolfe@dentonrc.com.