Plano voters could soon be asked to consider the future of Dallas Area Rapid Transit in their city.
The city council will hold a special session on Nov. 5 to discuss whether to call an election next year on whether or not to withdraw from the agency. It would be the first city in decades to do so.
The city in a news releasing announcing the meeting cited a study last year that found Plano paid $109 million to DART while the agency spent only $44 million in the city. The city also took issue with the fact DART awarded over $800,000 in bonuses to executives of the agency.
"As Plano continues to grow, our community’s needs are evolving,” City Manager Mark Israelson said in the news release. “We need transit solutions that evolve with us to provide flexible and responsive options for everyone who lives and works in Plano.”
The announcement of a potential withdrawal election comes right after the opening of DART's new Silver Line, which connects Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to Shiloh Road Station in Plano. It also comes just before Dallas is set to host several FIFA World Cup games in June 2026 where DART expects to see increased ridership.
Plano Mayor Pro Tem Maria Tu said in a Wednesday Facebook post the transit agency is not working for the city.
"The City has asked repeatedly where our money is being spent to benefit Plano, but has received NO ACCOUNTING," Tu said in the post. "We need our money spent to benefit our Plano residents."
In a news conference called Wednesday, DART CEO Nadine Lee and Chairman Randall Bryant pushed back against Plano's claims that the city wasn't getting its full value.
"I understand that a lot of people want sort of a dollar in and dollar out," Lee said. "But that's just not the way things work."
Any member city pulling out would affect service for the entire DART network, Lee said, which would "severely" impact service for the FIFA World Cup and Silver Line.
"It's really devastating and frustrating to understand that they would do this," Lee said. "Not only on the heels of a wonderful, successful opening of the Silver Line last week, but on the eve of the World cup."
Lee confirmed DART service would end immediately in Plano if it pulled out, meaning the city would lose its two Silver Line stations as well as its downtown and Parker Road stops.
"We already have to start looking at what those impacts are going to look like," Lee said. "Because if we were ending services, say, the day after the election, obviously we'd want to [notify] the riders in those areas."
Earlier this year Plano led the effort to pass legislation that would cut member cities contributions to DART by 25%, something the agency at the time called a "DART killer" bill. The agency gets 1% or a penny for each sales tax dollar from each of its 13 member cities, but several cities have over the past year called to reduce that contribution.
DART leaders approved a new program this year that will return funds to seven eligible cities, including Plano, that pay more in than they get in services. The agency had to make system-wide cuts in order to fund the General Mobility Program.
Bryant pointed to the GMP as evidence DART has worked to resolve Plano's concerns.
"[We] have been working very diligently to bring some resolve to these issues that I do find merit in," he said. "But this is just not the way to solve them."
Lee said the cities of Farmers Branch and Highland Park will also have similar discussions next week. Irving has also indicated it may consider a withdrawal election in the future.
Dylan Duke is KERA's Fall news intern. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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