In a fight for survival, a huge compromise between the region’s lead public transit agency and its 13 member cities is beginning to take shape.
The Dallas City Council authorized an agreement Wednesday to receive $211 million from Dallas Area Rapid Transit over the next six years, with the hope the cash infusion will pay for eligible transportation programs. Other cities are also expected to receive refunds proportional to their sales tax contributions.
The city will submit project requests in June for DART to review. These could range from efforts to grow special services for elderly or disabled residents, to street repair for expanded public transit access.
Council member Cara Mendelsohn questioned if the project descriptions were too broad and subjective to leave up to the agency to consider.
Political Points
But other council members struck a different tone, citing the “middle ground” city and transit leaders had managed to hash out after months of deliberation.
Council member Paul Ridley, who chairs the council’s transportation and infrastructure committee, said it was too early for the draft agreement to be “perfectly prescriptive,” as it would be different for each city, and the document had to be broad enough to cover all needs.
He cautioned if the City Council chose to not execute the agreement, then they would be “kissing away $211 million and we’re throwing a monkey wrench in the works.”
The resolution comes a day after DART CEO Nadine Lee, who shepherded the transit agency through an existential crisis, said she was stepping down.
For years, suburban cities have complained that their penny sales tax contribution to DART has cut into their plans to attract sports teams and corporate entities. Some cities have said the current system unfairly benefits Dallas amid concerns of low ridership and safety for commuters.
But the agency has repeatedly sounded the alarm that a withdrawal could lead to widespread service cuts, impacting riders who rely on mass transit for day-to-day travel.
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Dallas, by population and funding, is the largest service area for the region. It contributes more than $400 million annually, money leaders once considered redirecting toward shortfalls in the city’s pension systems.
But where six cities — Plano, Irving, Addison, Farmers Branch, Highland Park and University Park — called for an election to sever their relationship with DART last year, Dallas leaders threw their weight behind the embattled transit agency.
Tensions waned earlier this year after DART officials came up with proposals that were enough to persuade some, like Plano and Irving, to withdraw their referendum plans.
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Dallas ceded some of its voting power to increase representation for its suburban counterparts. DART, buoyed by monetary help from the North Central Texas Council of Governments, will refund cities up to 10% of their sales tax contribution. Under the proposed compromise, regional rail systems led by DART and other authorities, such as the Trinity Metro’s Trinity Railway Express, would be transferred to an independent management authority. That would need legislative intervention to come to fruition.
Regional leaders will be watching as DART and cities also attempt to convince the Texas Legislature to allow the agency to pursue other revenue streams, such as a vehicle registration fee.