Regional leaders hope to settle differences between Dallas Area Rapid Transit and its member cities over equity and funding through mediation.
During a meeting of the Regional Transportation Council Thursday, council chair and Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins asked city leaders and transit officials to vote on starting the talks as soon as Friday.
“I just want to see you guys get a deal, right? Honestly, all of you get a deal that all of you can live with,” Lewis Jenkins told the council. “Because otherwise somebody is going to be either back in the status quo that the cities were in or in a very bad situation where DART would be if that [legislation] passed.”
He was referring to two bills in the Texas House and Senate that would reduce contributions from member cities by 25%. Another bill was filed earlier this week that would restructure DART's board.
During the last RTC meeting, leaders from member cities clashed over whether to support the funding legislation as a region; after a sharply split vote, the council decided to stay neutral on the matter. This time, council voted unanimously to move forward with mediation to resolve the issue locally.
“I am in favor of mediation,” said Carrollton Mayor Steve Babick. “I've suggested to Plano and to Irving that a small group needs to resolve this.”
Carrollton, Plano and Irving are among the six DART member cities that passed resolutions last year calling to reduce the agency’s funding. One of those cities, Rowlett, rescinded its resolution last week and voted to support full DART funding.
DART has been in talks with member cities to address their concerns and service requests, which could total as much as $18 million.
The council on Thursday also agreed to suspend discussion on the funding legislation until the next RTC meeting.
“The opportunity to have a discussion with the cities is exactly what we need to do,” said DART board chair Gary Slagel. “We're part of the discussion with our partners and that's where we have to look at it.”
Regional transportation director Michael Morris said the council will begin mediation Friday with an hour-long session to “find a path forward” and understand each party’s requests.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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