When Plano City Council member Anthony Ricciardelli was named the city's new representative on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board, he joined at a particularly contentious time for the agency.
"My goal is to do what's right for DART, what's right for Plano and what's right for the region," Ricciardelli told KERA, "and I don't think those goals are mutually exclusive."
The city has been leading a push to pass state legislation that would divert 25% of DART's funds back to cities — including Plano — in the form of a general mobility fund. It comes as DART has been in an ongoing dispute with some of its member cities unhappy with the agency's services.
"I believe that empowering DART's member cities through the pending state legislation and through other efforts will actually make DART stronger and more viable over the long term," Ricciardelli said.
KERA’s Pablo Arauz Peña spoke with him about his new role, mediation, and why Plano is pushing for cuts.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Pablo Arauz Peña: Tell us about the recent history of Plano's relationship with DART, and can you explain the reasoning for why Plano wants to take back some of its contributions to DART?
Anthony Ricciardelli: The recent history of Plano's relationship with DART is one of evaluating the value that Plano is receiving from our investment in DART using data from the year 2023. Ernst & Young did a study that determined that Plano invested $109 million of sales tax in DART in 2023 but only received expenditures from DART of $44 million within the city of Plano's boundaries. And even some of those $44 million of expenditures are spent on things like empty buses or underutilized buses.
Arauz: But there are riders in Plano, you know, I've spoken to them, I know that they're there. What do you say to those DART riders who just don't want service cuts? Because as I understand it, if the legislation goes through, the CEO, Nadine Lee, she's saying that it could really damage the region. What do say to the DART riders who really don't wanna see that happen?
Ricciardelli: We believe that a 25% general mobility program could be accomplished without cutting services that are currently well utilized. Obviously, there are some things like the empty or underutilized buses that I mentioned that we don't believe are good expenditures of sales tax revenue, but those services that are well utilized, we don' think would need to be cut.
Arauz: Speaking of the buses, what routes have you seen that are underutilized in Plano?
Ricciardelli: You know, one route in particular would be the bus that goes along Spring Creek. I've seen empty buses on Spring Creek also - I was recently at the intersection of Midway and Parker, I think, and I was next to one of the express buses and because I was stopped at a stoplight, I was able to scan forward and back and there was nobody on the bus. I think those are examples, anecdotal for sure, but those are examples of bus services that are that are you know either empty or underutilized in Plano.
Arauz: I've heard a lot of criticisms about the Ernst & Young report, that it's just a snapshot in time, that it really only tells one side of the story and it also doesn't take into account the Silver Line, which is going to be a big economic contributor for, as I understand it, for the DART service area and for Plano. What do you say to that criticism?
Ricciardelli: First of all, we think that the methodology in the Ernst & Young report is reliable. Ernst & Young is one of the most respected consulting and accounting firms in the world. And we think they've done a good job and they've got their reputation on the line. They wouldn't they wouldn't put out a report that was not reliable. I think also when you look at the magnitude of the disparity, Plano investing $109 million of sales tax in 2023 and only receiving $44 million dollars of expenditures from DART in 2023. Even if you add in additional factors like the Silver Line when it eventually opens, the huge disparity will still remain.
Arauz: [DART] recently put forward a plan to direct 5% of contributions to a general mobility fund. Is that enough for you? Does the city still feel the need to pursue this legislation?
Ricciardelli: We do think a legislative solution is needed. If you look at the resolution that the DART board recently passed, it's a 5% general mobility program, not a 25% general mobility program. Granted that for at least the first couple of years, Plano would get back approximately 25% of our sales tax contribution. But we believe that there needs to be a structural fix with the permanence of state legislation. And for one thing, the DART resolution could change or it could even be repealed in the future if DART decides that that's no longer the policy that the DART board wants to pursue.
Arauz: Is there a happy medium where DART and member cities could compromise over this issue?
Ricciardelli: I have participated in the mediation process, and after three meetings and more than five hours of discussion, we don't believe that future mediation will be fruitful. It seems that we're at an impasse. So we at the city of Plano are committed to our path forward in the Texas Legislature. I want to make it very clear that neither I nor the city of Plano is against the idea of public transit. I think there's been an inaccurate narrative out there about that. The city of Plano sees value in public transit solutions as long as they are delivered in a cost-effective manner, tailored to actual community needs, and delivered at a level of investment commensurate to the amount of services received.
Arauz: What do you hope and what do you think could be best for the future of DART?
Ricciardelli: I think that for the future of DART, it's critical to deliver services in a cost-effective manner that are tailored to each city's unique needs at a level of investment that is commensurate to the services that each city is receiving. So the 25% general mobility program in the legislation would help to right-size cities' contributions, which I think would help with DART's long-term viability. And I also appreciate that there has been a move to make city plans within DART that would take into account the needs of each member city because there are 13 member cities in DART and each of those cities has its own unique needs.
It's not a cookie cutter, one-size-fits all solution, and I know that DART is taking steps to begin to recognize that so I appreciate that. In Plano we need city-wide GO-Link, the point-to-point service, and less fixed-route bus service where those buses are being underutilized.
Arauz: Anthony Ricciardelli, thank you so much for being here at KERA.
Ricciardelli: Thank you so much for having me, Pablo, I appreciate the opportunity.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
