Leaders in a North Texas suburb have decided to call off the election to potentially withdraw from Dallas Area Rapid Transit — the region’s largest public transit system — after reaching a deal with the agency.
On Monday, the Plano City Council voted unanimously to cancel the May 2 election that would have let voters decide to stay in or leave DART.
Plano Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Rick Horne reminded residents at the meeting that the city’s effort was about improving the agency.
“What we have is good, it’s not perfect, but it’s a starting point,” Horne said.
The council also voted to repeal an earlier resolution supporting capping DART’s tax revenue collections.
The decision follows months of negotiations between DART and several member cities that have pushed for changes in DART’s funding and governance. Plano is one of six cities that called withdrawal elections that would end bus and train service within their city limits.
As part of the new deal, DART will give $360 million back to all of its member cities over six years. It also plans to restructure its board of directors so each city has a representative, expanding the board and reducing voting power for the city of Dallas. Plano City Council members passed a resolution Monday expressing support for the reform and “requesting state legislative action to implement a new governance structure.”
DART CEO Nadine Lee has told KERA the agency will need to finding other revenue streams to keep operations running. The Regional Transportation Council earlier this month approves a plan to help DART pay another $75 million to cities.
“There’s nobody who wants to improve services more than more than DART and we will endeavor to do that,” Lee said. “If we can do that in partnership with the cities and if the cities are working with us in good faith we think that can be accomplished.”
As part of the deal, Plano leaders agreed to cease legislative efforts to defund DART. The city will receive more than $61 million over the next several years.
“I understand we’re not getting everything we want, I understand our riders want additional things, but one step at a time,” said Mayor Pro Tem Maria Tu.
Several Plano residents and transit advocates showed up to the meeting in support of DART. Embher Chaffin, who founded the advocacy group Keep DART in Plano, told the council that she’s thankful DART and Plano reached a deal, but hopes the city will appoint a representative on the board who knows the system.
“The board at DART should include someone who rides regularly,” Chaffin said. “With Plano being one of the most diverse cities in Texas, we should utilize that strength.”
Not all DART riders agreed with the new plan. Some say it lacks transparency and could negatively impact the passenger experience.
“There’s one member of this compromise that is still missing and that’s us, the riders,” Alex Flores told council members. “The [deal] does give you guys an additional responsibility… the funds you receive can be used for transit related projects.”
The council also approved an alternative micro-transit service that it had already allocated money for called “Plano Rides.” The service will be run by Via, a rideshare company that operates in other North Texas cities such as Arlington and Irving.
Some residents say they opposed the new service, calling it “duplicative.”
At least three other cities are considering calling off DART withdrawal elections. Addison and Farmers Branch will review the new DART deal tomorrow. Irving plans to address it on Thursday.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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