Irving officials said they’ll discuss the withdrawal election that would determine the future of Dallas Area Rapid Transit services in the city at their Feb. 26 council meeting.
It comes after DART got the green light on a major funding boost from the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Regional Transportation Council, which leads transportation policy and planning in the area.
Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer and Council Member Dennis Webb expressed support for the transit system in a letter to the Regional Transportation Council.
“The City of Irving believes in the value of a strong regional transit system and applauds the efforts of all stakeholders who have come together to propose a path forward that maintains our regional mobility partnership," the pair wrote.
The Irving City Council also voted unanimously to express support for a proposed DART governance model, in addition to calling for legislative action to implement it.
The resolution supports reforms which would “provide no less than one vote per city and a weighted vote for cities who make up a larger portion of the DART service population.”
A busy week for DART, member cities
DART and its member cities considering breaking away had a whirlwind week, as some of them may be considering calling off withdrawal elections.
DART has been barreling toward a scenario where voters in up to six cities choose to leave the public transit system. Plano, Irving, Highland Park, University Park, Farmers Branch and Addison have all called elections to determine the future of DART in their cities, with leadership citing poor return on investment as a key motivation.
But on Feb. 9, after potentially striking a deal with DART, the Plano City Council deferred a decision on an alternative microtransit option through Via.
The next day, the agency’s Committee of the Whole voted in favor of a proposal that would alter DART's governance and funding models as an olive branch to frustrated member cities. Under the proposed model, millions of dollars in sales tax contributions would be given back to the cities over the course of multiple years.
The full DART Board will hold a special meeting Feb. 20 to vote on the proposal.
On Feb. 11, the Dallas City Council moved to reduce the city’s voting power on the DART board, giving up its majority.
At an NCTCOG meeting Feb. 12, both Irving and Plano signaled a willingness to reconsider their May 2 referenda. They did so on the condition that the transportation council approve $75 million in funding for DART, which it did.
The DART funding, which allows for the return of sales tax contributions to member cities, is part of a larger funding package aimed at boosting transportation projects across North Texas.
That same evening, the Irving City Council held its regular meeting. Multiple attendees spoke in favor of the city remaining in DART.
Dallas resident Rhanda Hasley told the council she wants to see the member cities and DART work together on a solution.
She said she uses DART to get around the Metroplex, including Irving, for shopping, dining and visiting friends.
"I really appreciate the fact that DART has been a part of Irving so far," Hasley said. "I trust that you will not only consider the paratransit system, but how the buses, trains, GoLink — all of that would be affected."
One speaker pointed to the impact of recent DART service cuts, like the end of bus routes 225 and 255.
Stopfer said at the meeting that those bus route cuts were DART’s decision, not the city’s.
“Because [the routes] were canceled and because we know the concerns of the residents, that was one of the things that we wanted to get put back in,” he said.
In a press release sent out after the Irving council vote, city officials said they will work with DART to reinstate those routes “as soon as possible.”
“The City of Irving expects the DART Board to rapidly reinstate all canceled bus services or provide funding for the city to contract with another entity to do so,” the release said.
City officials added that they’re “encouraged by those discussions and the recent actions taken by the DART Board, the Dallas City Council and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG).”
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