{"id":158878,"date":"2026-02-10T20:51:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T20:51:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/158878\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T20:51:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T20:51:09","slug":"plano-reconsiders-dart-withdrawal-after-last-minute-proposal-local-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/158878\/","title":{"rendered":"Plano Reconsiders DART Withdrawal After Last-Minute Proposal – Local Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plano\u2019s debate over public transit took an unexpected turn Monday night, as city leaders indicated the door may still be open to staying with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) shortly before voters are scheduled to weigh in on a potential exit<\/a>.<\/p>\n

City Manager Mark Israelson prompted the shift during a city council meeting<\/a> on Feb. 9, asking members to delay moving forward with an alternative transit plan in order to allow time for renewed discussions with DART ahead of the planned May election.<\/p>\n

The request effectively put Plano\u2019s backup option on hold. Council members had been poised to consider a contract with Via, an on-demand rideshare service similar to Uber that would step in if the city withdraws from DART.<\/p>\n

Israelson cautioned that DART\u2019s proposal was not yet finalized but said progress could be made quickly if certain steps fall into place. On his recommendation, the council unanimously agreed to postpone a vote on the Via contract until Feb. 23, clearing time for a closer review of DART\u2019s offer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are several actions that would need to happen over the next two weeks for that offer to really materialize,\u201d Israelson said during the meeting. \u201cBut those are very meaningful actions that would be taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Critical Two-Week Window<\/p>\n

Plano\u2019s decision kicks off what could be a decisive stretch for public transit in North Texas. DART leaders are expected to unveil a reworked funding structure \u2014 one that could give smaller member cities more control over the services they receive.<\/p>\n

Plano is not alone in its concerns. Irving, Addison, Farmers Branch and Highland Park have all raised similar complaints<\/a>, arguing they contribute disproportionately to a system that does not adequately serve their residents. Each of those cities has scheduled May elections, allowing voters to decide whether to exit DART.<\/p>\n

Those elections can still be canceled \u2014 but only within the next couple of weeks. After that, ballots will be finalized.<\/p>\n

Cost Disparities Fueling The Debate<\/p>\n

An independent analysis by EY Associates helped push the issue to the forefront. The study<\/a>\u00a0showed\u00a0that Plano taxpayers contributed $109 million to DART in 2023, while only $44 million was spent on services within the city.<\/p>\n

City leaders have also pointed to recent disclosures that DART awarded more than $800,000 in executive bonuses last year as further evidence of misaligned priorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Plano taxpayers invest $109 million for DART services, but only receive $44 million in return, it is clear that an extreme imbalance exists and alternatives need to be discussed,\u201d State Representative Matt Shaheen previously said. \u201cI am beyond disappointed with DART\u2019s failure to work with Plano and other cities on their failure to enact equitable reforms.\u201d<\/p>\n

DART Warns Of Regional Impact<\/p>\n

DART leadership previously pushed back<\/a>\u00a0on the withdrawal effort. In an Oct. 29 press conference, CEO Nadine Lee called the potential exits \u201cheartbreaking,\u201d warning that losing member cities would \u201cseverely impact\u201d the agency\u2019s ability to serve riders \u2014 particularly during major events like next year\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n

For now, Plano\u2019s move to pause its backup plan suggests negotiations<\/a> are still alive, even as the clock ticks toward a decision that could reshape public transportation across the region. Whether a compromise emerges in time remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

Don’t miss anything Local. Sign up<\/a> for our free newsletter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plano\u2019s debate over public transit took an unexpected turn Monday night, as city leaders indicated the door may…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158879,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[65283,160,162,161],"class_list":["post-158878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-plano","tag-local-newsdartnorth-texasplanocollin-countynewsletter_alldallas-area-rapid-transit","tag-plano","tag-plano-headlines","tag-plano-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}