The Addison City Council has shot down an effort to let citizens vote on withdrawing from Dallas Area Rapid Transit next year.
The Addison council denied a motion, 4-3, on December 2 that would have called an election allowing citizens to vote on withdrawing from DART next year.
As The Dallas Express reported, four other cities – Farmers Branch, Highland Park, Irving, and Plano – voted last month to hold withdrawal elections on May 2, 2026.
Addison would have made the fifth city to advance withdrawal efforts. The motion would have set a withdrawal election to “dissolve” DART in the town, which would still be “subject to the continued collection of sales taxes for the period required by law.”
Addison Mayor Bruce Arfsten called the current DART system “kind of dysfunctional” during the meeting and suggested potential reforms. However, he opposed leaving the transit agency.
“We have to figure out a way to have a really solid regional transportation system,” Arfsten said. “To me, dismantling what we have now and trying to start over and have all these fragmented systems out there that are not really systems – they’re just things – that’s a way backwards move.”
Member cities have been growing increasingly frustrated with DART’s spending and governance, since services and board representation are heavily concentrated in Dallas, as The Dallas Express reported.
Numerous residents attended the recent meeting to oppose the withdrawal election. Addison resident Phyllis Silver said she was “disappointed” the council was considering sending the measure to the voters.
“Leaving DART would be disastrous for Addison. Our economy is based on hospitality, employees of our restaurants and hotels depend on DART to get them to work,” Silver said. “Also, visitors use transit to our events.”
Silver referenced previous frustrations with DART from nearly 10 years ago, when Addison officials were considering withdrawing because the agency was not providing rail service. Now, as The Dallas Express reported, the agency has launched its new Silver Line, connecting Plano to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
“Only a month after Silver Line opens, Addison is telling DART we want to leave?” Silver said. “We are sending the wrong message. Besides, withdrawal is not fiscally responsible. If we withdraw, we would get no service while repaying debt and other financial obligations to DART for years.”
DART is currently billions of dollars in debt. This is divided among member cities, deterring them from leaving.
In other cities that have advanced withdrawal elections, DART would terminate all service immediately after voters decide to leave, as The Dallas Express reported. The cities would continue paying off a share of the agency’s massive debt. In Addison’s case, according to official estimates, residents would continue paying for roughly three years.
Numerous DART officials also attended the meeting.
Newly elected DART Board Chair Randall Bryant recognized that Addison residents have the right to vote on withdrawal, but raised concerns about the timing, citing the Silver Line.
“You’ll hear questions about what comes next for the Addison city, and to its public transit. It’s a fair question to ask, and one that I, as a DART board member or the staff present here tonight, cannot answer,” Bryant said. “What I can tell you is this council, and those here tonight, will continue to negotiate in good faith.”
DART Board Chair Randall Bryant, with former Board Chair Gary Slagel looking on in the background/DX
Member city officials have repeatedly expressed frustration, saying DART has refused to negotiate adequately with them, as The Dallas Express reported.
Cities may opt out of the agency only once every 6 years, making 2026 the next window to leave.
Bryant’s predecessor, former DART Board Chair Gary Slagel, asked officials to stay with the agency during the meeting.
Slagel said he understands “a sense of impatience,” but the Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments – a regional shadow government that pulls the strings for federal funding – has been working for a “broad regional system.”
“We worked hard with Addison over the years. The city managers, the mayors, have all worked together to try to accomplish something with DART, which you finally now are seeing evidence of, and it’s actually running through your community,” Slagel said. “I would hate to see an election that allowed the train to go through but not stop. That would be very sad.”
DART Chief of Staff Kay Shelton – representing CEO Nadine Lee – emphasized recent projects between the city and agency.
“Addison has always been a great partner to DART,” Shelton said. “Our transit system is an economic asset that keeps Addison and North Texas competitive, connected, and thriving.”
City of Addison staff referenced a study during the meeting that showed Addison provided $16.3 million in 2023 but received only $9.5 million in services.
The Dallas Express exclusively reported the study this summer, showing that numerous suburbs like Plano have been giving tens of millions more dollars to DART than they have been getting back.
Addison staff also presented data during the meeting, showing that the city spends more on DART than on its own police department.
Addison Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Chris DeFrancisco defended DART and questioned the 2023 study. He said it would be “silly” to reduce the agency’s value to those numbers alone.
“We have four cities that have called an election; we can just sit back and let’s see the results,” DeFrancisco said. “The worst thing that could happen is those elections fail, and the election in Addison passes, and we’re the only city in the region – we have a train station, we have a bus station – we’re the only city in the region that doesn’t have access to DART. We would look like fools.”
DeFrancisco tried unsuccessfully to table the motion until after the May withdrawal elections, giving the council more time to discuss. He also called for continued negotiations.
Councilman Darren Gardner suggested postponing the vote, but only to January. Likewise, his motion failed.
“If DART ran like Addison, I’d be very pleased. And I can’t tell you that they do, because I don’t have all the information, I’d be speaking out of line,” Gardner said. “But I feel like they’re not. I’ve heard a lot of things.”
Councilman Dan Liscio emphasized DART’s governance imbalance, noting that Dallas maintains a vast majority of the board’s representatives while cities like Addison are forced to share a single seat. He questioned where Addison would be after leaving DART.
Councilman Howard Freed said he supported holding an election, simply sending the matter to the people for a vote.
“I definitely think we need to call an election,” Freed said. “Otherwise we’re in this for six more years, for another $100 million, and could be in it with a lot less players.”
Councilman Randy Smith said now is the “ideal time” for a withdrawal election.
“We have other cities that we can work with that have been bullied by DART for over 40 years,” Smith said. “We can’t do this alone, but we’re not going to be in this alone. There will be other cities that we can band with to make a better system than what we’ve got now.”
DART was first founded in 1983. Two years later, Carrollton and Farmers Branch held elections to withdraw from DART in 1985, but chose to stay. Coppell and Flower Mound left successfully in 1989. Then four more cities considered leaving, but voted to stay in 1996.
“We had a speaker earlier comment that DART is not the problem. DART is exactly the problem. They’ve been a bully for over 40 years,” Smith said. “We are not partners. DART is a vendor that has done a poor job supporting their customers.”