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banner across E. 15th Street promoted Plano's 150th anniversary celebration as a DART rail train passed on May 31, 2023, in downtown Plano.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
Plano City Council members voted on a resolution last month to cap local sales tax contributions to DART at 0.75 cents rather than a full 1 cent from every dollar of sales that member cities have paid
to date. It is very important for the Plano community, DART member cities and the region to hear the facts underlying this action.
Plano has been steadfast in its support for regional transit since we were one of the original founders of DART in 1983. At that time, citizens voted to dedicate 1 cent from every dollar of local sales tax to be the primary funding source for an area transit system. Since then, Plano taxpayers have invested
$1.8 billion in DART. Our investment represents funds that non-DART member cities are using for community and economic development.
In the last decade, Plano has seen a rise in the amount of revenue going to DART with significantly fewer riders. In response to these changing conditions, Plano began asking DART leadership: What does it cost to provide DART services in Plano?
For the past four years, including two legislative sessions, Plano has asked DART for transparency and a simple accounting of costs to provide service to Plano. We have yet to receive a reasonable answer from DART.
It is the city’s fiduciary responsibility to account for where our community’s tax dollars are spent. It is an essential responsibility of community leaders to analyze key partnerships to ensure they are meeting
the community’s needs. Those leaders are entrusted to ask questions or make needed changes to provide more efficient and effective solutions.
In 2024, Plano has 294,000 citizens and invests $114 million each year in transit services for approximately 3,700 riders per day, including riders from non-DART cities north of Plano who use DART services within our city. Drive across Plano’s 72 square miles and you will see bus stops with a
sign but without a bench, sidewalk or shelter. You will see empty buses on one-hour intervals, empty transit centers and empty parking lots for DART stations. You will also see rail service only on Plano’s east side.
These experiences are not limited to Plano. They can be seen across all 13 DART member cities.
The city of Plano is committed to regional transportation but also
recognizes a need for change. Plano’s city leaders are tired of empty buses, a lack of responsiveness from DART, the agency’s skyrocketing revenues and stalled regional transit growth. The fastest-growing cities in the country are north of Plano. Notably, none of them are joining DART. Our region cannot succeed with an outdated transit system with unanswered critical questions about safety, cleanliness, services and costs supported through the contributions of just 13 member cities.
It is time for Transit 2.0 to arrive. Plano and the Dallas-Fort Worth region need affordable solutions to connect all cities. North Texas needs mass transportation to move workers to jobs, patients to hospitals and families to entertainment destinations, and provide affordable transit service to those who need it most. Just as cities have learned to live with a 3.5% revenue cap, we strongly believe DART can, too.
We need — and Plano is asking for — solutions that support our region and are supportable by our region.
Mark Israelson is city manager of Plano.
