Addison will remain a member of Dallas Area Rapid Transit for the foreseeable future after some city council members rejected a call for an election to withdraw from the transit agency.
After hours of public testimony and discussion Tuesday night, Addison City Council voted 4-3 not to hold an election this spring to leave DART. It comes after four other cities — Farmers Branch, Irving, Highland Park and Plano — voted to hold their own withdrawal elections in May.
Addison Mayor Bruce Arfsten said he supports working with the agency.
"It is about the bigger picture, the regional picture," he said. "It's really clear to me where the residents are and the community at large, beyond Addison."
Arfsten was talking about the dozens of residents and non-residents who came to speak to the council in support of DART.
Madison Noelle McNair said she's a disabled DART rider who lives in Garland but regularly visits Addison to see her sister.
"DART isn't just public transportation, it's freedom,” she said. “It's how I get to work, to the doctor, to see my friends and family. DART is how I live my life."
Kennedy Bower said she’s lived in Addison since the ‘90s and saw how it grew from a suburban town with older motels and shopping centers to a vibrant, dense community with mixed-use corridors and major developments.
“Addison has embraced a forward-looking development model, and our transportation strategy must evolve with it,” said Bower. “It's growing here, and as a young person, that's very exciting and very energizing.”
Of the dozens of speakers at the meeting, only one spoke in support of holding a withdrawal election. Trisha Stewart said calling an election will let voters have their say on how the city spends its tax dollars.
"I'm confused that our council is villainized for allowing our citizens to have a voice on millions while our police and fire — people who serve us very well — stand by waiting for voter approvals for the millions that they need to function," Stewart said.
Three Addison council members called the special meeting late last month, citing a 2024 report that said the the city paid in $16.3 million in FY 2023 but received $9.5 million in services. Each of DART's 13 member cities pays in a portion of their sales tax revenue to fund the agency.
"DART is a vendor that has done a poor job supporting their customers, which we are customers in this endeavor," said council member Randy Smith. "We have paid in over $400 million, and we've only had bus service."
Smith called DART's funding system "antiquated" and accused the agency's leadership of "bullying" cities.
"If it was a good deal, towns would be falling over themselves to get in," he said.
Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Chris DeFrancisco, however, said holding a meeting to call a withdrawal election was "premature" and questioned the value of the report cited in staff's presentation, which didn't take into account the recently opened Silver Line commuter rail. Many residents said they waited years for the regional commuter line to be built; it’s Addison’s only rail stop.
"Staying in DART strengthens our future," DeFrancisco said. "We've paid our share, we've stayed the course, and leaving now would just be irresponsible."
Before holding the vote, Mayor Arfsten acknowledged issues with DART's current funding structure and said communication was a problem in the past, but he emphasized that Addison residents still need their mobility needs met.
"DART needs to do a lot of work. Absolutely, a hundred percent," Arfsten said. "But we can't forget about the human factor of it."
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. Got a tip? Email Pablo at parauzpena@kera.org.
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