Negotiations between leaders of Dallas Area Rapid Transit and several of its member cities are coming down to the wire this week as key deadlines for calling off exit elections approach.
Plano, Irving, Addison, Farmers Branch and the Park Cities have called May 2 elections to ask voters whether to leave the transit agency, citing concerns with the cost of membership, the quality of its services and disparities in the suburbs.
Service would stop the day after votes are canvassed in cities that choose to leave, but cities would continue paying a one-cent sales tax to DART for years to pay off debt associated with their contributions. DART is inviting riders and residents to a series of community meetings in several cities ahead of elections.
Several cities are considering microtransit alternatives to DART, including rideshare services similar to Uber and Lyft platforms. The Plano City Council is scheduled to vote Monday night on a contract with Via, the company Arlington uses to supply rideshare transportation services.
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Cities can still call elections off. Collin County and Denton County finalize their ballots on Feb. 23 and Dallas County on Feb. 27, according to documents from the city of Dallas. Cities have until March 18 to rescind withdrawal elections.
Here are important discussions scheduled ahead of Friday, the last day a DART member city can call a May election to cut ties with the agency. Cities could still hold November elections, but state law allows pitching the question of membership in DART to voters only once every six years — an opportunity which falls in 2026.
Tuesday, Feb. 10
DART’s leaders are scheduled to meet and receive a briefing on city and regional proposals related to the agency’s governance, funding and service.
Leaders will also consider what to prioritize in the next legislative session relating to DART’s governance. Some member cities have asked for more of a voice on the 15-member board, and have taken issue with Dallas’ share of voting power. The state Legislature could step in to reform DART’s leadership structure.
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Finally, DART leaders are slated to consider a “strategic local funding solution” after member cities have called for a change to how DART is funded. Currently, 13 cities pay a one-cent sales tax to the agency.
Wednesday, Feb. 11
The Dallas City Council is scheduled to consider a resolution expressing support for principles relating to DART’s governance, including that:
Each DART member city should have representation through at least one seat on the DART boardNo single member city should have a majority vote share on the DART boardDallas should hold a minimum of seven seats on the board with no less than 45% of the total voting power
The principles, discussed by the Dallas transportation and infrastructure committee last month, could fulfill some requests from suburban member cities if approved by Dallas leaders.
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Thursday, Feb. 12
The Regional Transportation Council, a transportation policy body of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, is scheduled to host a workshop and take action on two scenarios regarding city requests impacting DART — a scenario if cities opt out of DART and a scenario with partnership opportunities resulting in cities not withdrawing from DART.
The North Texas Commission and NCTCOG have convened a working group of DART and city leaders for weeks to facilitate discussions on how to solve DART’s most acute challenges.
Follow updates on these key negotiations at dallasnews.com.