An attorney for Dallas Area Rapid Transit has opened an investigation into some board members who allegedly used agency funds to travel out of the country.
The issue came up during DART's public board of directors meeting Tuesday evening. The 15-member board that represents the agency's 13 member cities were in the thick of debate over DART's $1.8 billion budget for the next fiscal year.
Assistant secretary Doug Hrbacek said that Gene Gamez, the board's attorney, came to the board with a complaint about travel expenses on Sept. 12.
"At the end of the day, we have board members traveling around the world," Hrbacek said, "and it appears some of them are approving their own travel."
Hrbacek, who also represents the cities of Carrollton and Irving, didn't say who was traveling or where.
He added that he has a pending audit looking into the board's travel expenses dating back to fiscal year 2019.
"I think we need to stop, we need to figure out what's going on,” Hrbacek said.
The conversation didn't go unnoticed by some DART employees who were in the audience.
"We're a public entity. We see the numbers," said Diego Garcia, a DART employee who spoke during the public comment period in the meeting. "What are we doing with that money? Traveling around the world?"
Gamez declined to comment on the pending investigation but a spokesperson for DART directed KERA to the agency's public information request page.
The board agreed to discuss travel policy changes at its meeting on Oct. 17.
Got a tip? Email Pablo Arauz Peña at parauzpena@kera.org
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