Addison on Tuesday became the latest city in the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system to schedule a May election to leave the public transportation agency following a vote by the City Council, which approved the measure following a failed vote last month.
Addison leaders voted 5-2 to put the matter to voters during a spring election that has not yet been scheduled.
“I can’t see time healing this wound,” council member Dan Liscio said Tuesday. “This is 40 plus years in the making. When you’re talking about millions and millions of dollars of taxpayer money, it’s inexcusable to me to say ‘let’s wait longer.’”
Addison’s council could at first not agree on scheduling an election to leave DART when they considered the issue in December, citing a need for more public input and negotiations with the public transportation system.
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Several motions failed or died after hours of heated debate and passionate public comment at the December meeting, but leaders could not come to an agreement.
The council discussed the topic again at a work session on Jan. 13 and brought the topic back for consideration at Tuesday’s council meeting.
“I’m concerned about our representation in DART,” said council member Howard Freed at Tuesday’s meeting. “We’ve given a blank check to DART … from the financial standpoint, I absolutely think we should pull out.”
Negotiations are reaching their peak as DART and city leaders seek common ground on reforming the agency’s governance, funding and service. Several cities have submitted proposals to DART outlining what it would take for them to consider calling votes off.
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Addison joins Plano, Irving, Farmers Branch, Highland Park and University Park in scheduling an exit election. Others could follow suit, and cities have until late February to pull the item from spring ballots and until mid-March to officially rescind elections.
DART services in Addison would end the day after votes are canvassed if voters choose to leave the agency on May 2, but cities that withdraw would continue paying sales tax to the agency because they still have obligations to pay off debt associated with their expenses.
Addison and other cities are considering alternative public transportation options, including rideshare, on-demand micro-transit services similar to Uber or Lyft.
“If Addison leaves DART, the recommended micro-transit is short-sighted and would interfere with riders’ everyday lives,” Addison resident Phyllis Silver told her council Tuesday night. “Addison’s proposal to use on-demand service instead of a transit agency is scary. Micro transit is unreliable.”
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Several residents spoke out against risking access to the Silver Line, a 26-mile railway with 10 stations that runs through seven cities and opened last fall.
“The fact that there’s an Addison stop on this $2 billion Silver Line defines us as a significant place and provides an identifier that is hard to put a price tag on,” said Addison resident Greg Thornbury to his council members Tuesday night.
Many urged the council to reconsider scheduling the election for November, the last opportunity the city would have for another six years to put the matter to a vote, per state law. Some argued voters would have more information in the fall and turnout would likely be higher.
“Here we go again, trying to rush a decision on remaining a part of DART,” said Addison resident Jim Duffy to the council. “What exactly is the rush?”
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Some speakers told the council they’d be grateful for the opportunity to vote on the issue and were in favor of alternative transit options. Addison resident Dawn Webb has concerns with DART’s debt and believes the town could be better off using the money it contributes to the system on infrastructure or public safety.
“They are not being held accountable for delivering a service that most people feel safe using,” Webb said at Tuesday’s council meeting. “The user experience is not there for us to continue paying in at astonishing levels.”
Addison, a town of about 17,000 people in northern Dallas County, contributed $16.7 million in sales tax to DART in the 2023 fiscal year, according to the agency’s data. A 2023 study by the firm EY showed that DART spent $9.5 million on services in the town. The study didn’t consider the economic impact of the Silver Line.
Addison Council member Chris DeFrancisco spoke out against scheduling the election and said he’s seen good signs from Dallas on conceding power and changing DART’s governing body to give other cities a fair seat at the table, a primary concern among suburban cities. He’s also been pleased to see DART pause issuing new debt until after potential exit elections.
“A connected DART, connected Addison is a better Addison,” DeFrancisco said at Tuesday’s meeting. “Of all the cities that have exit votes on the ballot, I think we’ve got the most to lose.”