Following in the footsteps of Plano and Farmers Branch, Irving moved Thursday night to rescind a May 2 special election that would have allowed voters to determine the future of DART in their city.
The city council voted unanimously to approve the interlocal agreement between DART and the city for general mobility program funds. It then voted 7-2 in favor of cancelling the election, with council members Luis Canosa and John Bloch voting against it.
This comes after months of back and forth between DART and its member cities, six of which were recently slated to hold withdrawal elections. Earlier this week, city council members in Plano and Farmers Branch voted to take their measures off the ballot after striking an agreement with DART.
Addison will keep their election, following a Tuesday city council vote.
As a compromise between the transit agency and member cities thinking about withdrawal, millions of dollars in sales tax contributions will be returned to the cities across six years. The DART Board’s governance and funding models are expected to change, too, with the City of Dallas no longer holding a voting majority.
Resident Michael McPhail told the council, “I have to admit, I thought this was a high-risk play and you won, good work.”
He went on to thank the council for reaching a compromise with DART and getting the issue on the agenda.
“Hopefully DART will behave better in the future,” McPhail added.
Other speakers thanked the council, mayor and city staff for their role in brokering a deal with DART.
Council member David Pfaff described it as Mayor Rick Stopfer’s “crowning achievement” as his three-term tenure at the city’s helm comes to an end, per city term limits.
DART Board Chairman Randall Bryant told the council that the new agreements provide guarantees to member cities and “a pathway for the future.”
After the vote, Bryant told KERA it was "a great day," following major strides in governance and funding solutions.
“We still have to work on service and there's a lot of priorities within each city that we have to figure out how to bring together,” Bryant said. “There are a lot of things that hinge on the legislative session and so we need to get prepared for that starting now, too.”
Withdrawal elections are still slated to be held in Addison, University Park and Highland Park.
Got a tip? Email Andy Lusk at alusk@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!
