Four days after a grand opening for the new Silver Line connecting Plano to the Dallas-Fort Worth airport by rail, the city of Plano announced Oct. 29 that it will hold a special city council session Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. to consider calling a special May election on the city’s future with Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
If approved, Plano voters would decide next year whether to withdraw from DART or remain with the transit agency.
“Plano is committed to ensuring safe, reliable mobility options that serve the best interests of our residents,” Mayor John Muns said. “We want our council and community to feel empowered to choose what transportation options work best for us.”
The move comes after years of disputes over funding disparities. An independent study by Ernst & Young found that in 2023, Plano taxpayers contributed $109 million to DART while only $44 million was spent within city limits.
Despite repeated efforts by Plano to address the imbalance, DART has maintained it requires every dollar it receives. City officials also learned DART awarded more than $800,000 in executive bonuses last year.
“As Plano continues to grow, our community’s needs are evolving,” City Manager Mark Israelson said. “We need transit solutions that evolve with us to provide flexible and responsive options for everyone who lives and works in Plano.”
Regardless of the election outcome, city officials said Plano remains committed to providing accessible transportation for all residents. Funding has been set aside to implement a microtransit solution.
Plano has worked for more than five years with the Texas Legislature and DART seeking answers about where its tax dollars are spent.
The city contributed $109 million to DART in 2023 through its one-cent sales tax dedication. The transit agency spent $44.6 million within city borders, meaning $65 million in Plano taxpayer money went to other communities.
“We were not receiving even 50 cents on the dollar,” Andrew Fortune, Plano’s director of policy and government relations, told the City Council in June. “Not even receiving 50 cents on the dollar is very difficult to defend.”
The effort began in 2020 when the city council first requested a return-on-investment analysis from DART. When the agency failed to provide data, the city took its case to the Texas Legislature in 2021. DART promised to deliver the analysis if Plano would withdraw its legislation.
The city complied, but DART provided what Fortune described as “a largely qualitative document that highlighted the benefits of transit but didn’t really get to the core of the question.”
Plano returned to the Legislature in 2023 with Senate Bill 1370, which passed the Senate but died in the House.
This year, six DART member cities, including Plano, passed resolutions seeking funding returns from the agency. Legislation that would have required DART to return 25% of contributions to cities receiving inadequate service passed the House Transportation Committee but died in the Senate Calendars Committee.
Former city council member Shelby Williams said the city pays more into the DART system than it does for the entire Plano Police Department, and more than residents pay in property taxes.
“DART no longer exists primarily to serve the people for which the system was created, but primarily exists to serve itself,” Williams said.
DART has proposed service changes and reductions to fund improvements, but Fortune expressed concern about the agency’s commitment. No funding has been allocated for the proposal.
DART and CEO Nadine Lee responded to Plano’s claims during an Oct. 29 press conference.
“I’m really heartbroken, mostly for the riders, because I think the riders who are impacted, I don’t believe have a voice in this right now,” she said.
Lee called the claims over the lack of financial transparency “unfounded,” and the agency releases financial information annually. She added the budget process takes all year and is published online.
Lee said Plano contributes $110 million annually in sales tax with Chairman of the DART Board Randall Bryant adding “it is hard to imagine that losing a Plano would not impact our revenues.”
Bryant added the budget committee has been chaired by a member of the city of Plano, noting the motion to approve last year’s budget was made by a member from the city of Plano.
Bryant said this item comes as the region braces for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, adding the vote to potentially remove Plano from DART would be a “disservice to the region as a whole.”