The fight to keep Michael Morris in power moved from behind-the-scenes maneuvering into public view Thursday.
The Regional Transportation Council voted to advance a new TxDOT agreement, ask the North Central Texas Council of Governments to remain as fiscal agent, and begin negotiations with Morris to continue as MPO transportation director.
The move came after NCTCOG Executive Director Todd Little fired Morris, a court ordered him reinstated, and The Dallas Express reported that Morris and some of his allies had worked behind the scenes to thwart NCTCOG leadership’s plan to move him out.
The May 14 agenda laid out the mechanism: the RTC would consider initiating negotiations with Morris because the proposed TxDOT agreement states that the RTC would appoint the MPO transportation director.
Morris currently serves as transportation director through NCTCOG, whose executive director fired him last month. The RTC did not hire him on Thursday, but it voted to begin negotiations under a proposed structure that could preserve his role and shift appointment authority to the RTC, which intervened in the lawsuit that resulted in his reinstatement.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Morris’ reinstatement followed a broader transportation civil war involving DART funding, alleged threats and intimidation, legal maneuvering, and control over billions of dollars in regional transportation decisions.
Thursday’s meeting showed that the fight is far from over.
Court Fight Put Morris Back In Chair
Attorney Rob Walters, retained by the RTC for the legal fight, opened Thursday’s meeting with an update on the May 5 court ruling that put Morris back on the job.
Walters said he was not offering legal advice in open session, but gave council members a summary of the temporary injunction.
According to Walters, the Tarrant County court found that the NCTCOG Executive Board lacked the required composition under federal law to act as the MPO, had acted without RTC input or against RTC policy, and had attempted to influence RTC policy by hiring a transportation director who would report to NCTCOG’s executive director rather than the RTC.
Walters said the court ordered NCTCOG not to pursue a replacement for Morris, rescinded Morris’ dismissal, and barred NCTCOG from interfering with the transportation director’s duties while the case continues.
NCTCOG can still appeal, Walters said, but the injunction remains in place for now.
Morris, who was fired by Little in late April, returned Thursday in a familiar role.
“It’s nice, Mr. Chairman, to be here today,” Morris told RTC Chair Rick Bailey. “Hopefully, the spirit of partnership extends from our speakers to our conversation today.”
Morris also joked that he had taken “two days off to mow the grass” and thanked Dan Kessler, whom NCTCOG had named interim transportation director after Morris’ firing.
RTC Moves To Cement Its MPO Claim
The centerpiece of Thursday’s meeting was a proposed new agreement between TxDOT, the RTC, and NCTCOG.
Under the proposed agreement, the RTC would be recognized as the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, while NCTCOG would continue to serve as the fiscal agent. RTC officials argued that the structure would leave NCTCOG responsible for processing RTC-related expenses, while the RTC would control regional transportation policy and funding decisions.
TxDOT has been working to finalize similar agreements with MPOs across Texas.
Morris and staff walked council members through the agreement’s three main components: the RTC affirming its MPO responsibilities, a 30-day request for NCTCOG to continue as fiscal agent, and authorization to negotiate a separate operating agreement covering administrative and business terms not addressed in the master agreement.
Morris argued for keeping NCTCOG in the fiscal-agent role despite the legal fight.
“We have a very gifted fiscal agent that does their job very well,” Morris told the council. “We have never gone to court with regard to any fiscal matters or any eligibility of requirements.”
But several members questioned whether the RTC could resolve the MPO issue by approving the TxDOT agreement.
Dallas Council Member Paul Ridley pointed to language in the 2018 agreement that designated NCTCOG as the MPO and asked who had formally changed that designation.
“At what point and on whose authority was there a change in the designation by the governor from 1974 of the COG as the MPO of this region?” Ridley asked.
Morris and Walters argued that federal law changes in 2005 and 2014 had superseded the old structure and that no new gubernatorial designation was required.
Walters said TxDOT believes it is on “rock solid ground” in proceeding with the proposed agreement.
Dallas City Council Member Cara Mendelsohn later echoed Ridley’s concern, arguing that the question should come from the governor or the courts, not simply from TxDOT staff.
“The RTC says it’s the MPO, but that does not make it so,” Mendelsohn said. “It’s not necessarily the deputy director of TxDOT. It’s actually the TxDOT board or the governor. Of course, the TxDOT board is appointed by the governor.”
Mendelsohn also argued that NCTCOG was asking to keep the existing structure in place until the legal question is resolved, while the RTC was effectively giving NCTCOG 30 days or threatening to go elsewhere.
“And that is wrong,” Mendelsohn said.
Denton County Judge Andy Eads defended the RTC’s position, saying multiple courts, legal teams, and TxDOT had landed on the RTC’s side.
Morris also argued that the RTC already serves as the region’s MPO because major transportation funding decisions rarely reach the NCTCOG Executive Board.
“When these elected officials put a billion dollars on LBJ East, $2 billion on U.S. 380, $2 billion on the Southeast Connector, $800 million on Southern Gateway, none of those items, and 98% of all other items, never go to the Executive Board,” Morris said.
Morris said those decisions go directly to implementing agencies.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins abstained from the vote and urged both sides to work together before the next NCTCOG board meeting on May 28.
Jenkins said the fight was “not even about who’s in charge” or “bureaucrats behaving badly,” but about “service delivery of transportation projects in our region.”
The resolution passed with four members voting no and two abstaining.
RTC Begins Negotiations To Keep Morris
Immediately after voting to advance the TxDOT agreement, the RTC moved to begin negotiations with Morris to continue as MPO transportation director.
The vote did not finalize a direct employment contract. It authorized negotiations under the proposed TxDOT agreement, which states that the RTC would appoint the MPO transportation director.
That move goes directly to the heart of the dispute.
Morris works through NCTCOG, whose executive director fired him last month. The proposed TxDOT agreement would have the MPO transportation director appointed by the RTC. But the RTC’s current bylaws state that staff support comes from NCTCOG, and both Morris and legal counsel acknowledged that the bylaws would need to change before any final agreement with Morris.
Mendelsohn questioned whether the RTC could even begin negotiating with Morris before changing its bylaws.
“I would like to ask if our bylaws state that all staff for the RTC will be provided by the COG,” Mendelsohn said. “Do our bylaws state that?”
Morris responded that the bylaws would need to be changed before any final employment agreement could be executed.
“The bylaws will probably have to be opened,” Morris said. “My hope is the only staff, the only staff person that would be reporting to the Regional Transportation Council would be the director. If in fact the COG board wishes to be the fiscal agent, my hope is all the remaining staff remains, as they currently do as council government’s employees.”
Legal counsel said the bylaws currently state that NCTCOG provides staff support and would need to be amended to align with the proposed three-party agreement.
Morris said the item before the council did not hire him directly, but only authorized negotiations.
“You won’t hire that particular staff until the bylaws are revised,” Morris said. “At the same time, this particular item is not to hire the staff. It is to begin negotiations of that particular staff, it’s not a violation of the bylaws.”
Mendelsohn pushed back.
“So again, there’s no provision in the bylaws for this action, correct?” she asked.
Morris responded, “Before you would be able to legally have an agreement with me, you will have to revise the bylaws.”
Mendelsohn argued the RTC was moving in the wrong order.
“You’re absolutely putting the cart before the horse and rushing something that should not be rushed,” she said. “It should be very thoughtfully done.”
The RTC approved the motion, with four members voting against it and Jenkins abstaining.
Alleged DART Payoff Fight Still Looms
The unresolved DART funding fight remains one of the biggest pieces of unfinished business in the Morris saga.
The May 14 agenda included a scheduled follow-up on the RTC’s February decision to fund $180 million for DART, Trinity Metro, and the Denton County Transportation Authority.
The agenda says the RTC approved $75 million in February for DART-related efforts requested by DART and several cities that were considering withdrawal elections.
The same agenda says the RTC also approved $65 million for DCTA and $40 million for Trinity Metro.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, sources characterized the $75 million DART-related allocation as an effort to pressure member cities to cancel withdrawal elections.
Several cities, including Plano, Irving, and Farmers Branch, later rescinded their DART elections. Addison, University Park, and Highland Park proceeded, with Highland Park voters approving withdrawal.
The RTC did not take up the $180 million follow-up on Thursday.
Morris said the item would return next month. He said staff were “very close” to finishing the Trinity Metro section and expected to bring it back as an action item, while staff still had work to do on the DCTA portion.
FIFA Transit Funding Approved
The council unanimously approved about $10 million in Federal Transit Administration funding tied to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Urbanized Area will receive $10,033,037 in federal funding, according to the May 14 agenda. The funding will come at a 100% federal share, with no local match required.
The funds are intended to help transit agencies and local governments in the City of Arlington, Grand Prairie, DART, and Trinity Metro prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Morris, who said he had done a CBS interview earlier in the day, told the council, “We are in good hands. Ready to implement your FIFA responsibilities.”
High-Speed Rail Fight Continues
The council also received an update on the Dallas-to-Fort Worth high-speed rail corridor, another major regional project caught in local political friction.
The item followed a November 2025 RTC action directing staff to move forward only with the “Western Alignment” in central Dallas after the City of Dallas opposed the eastern alignment.
The January 2026 Dallas City Council resolution may now jeopardize even the western alignment because it defines downtown Dallas as the freeway-bounded central business district. The western route cuts through part of that area while trying to connect to the already-approved Dallas-to-Houston high-speed rail station.
The region has already spent about $11 million developing the full Dallas-to-Fort Worth corridor, including a little more than $2 million on the western alignment. If the project cannot move forward, the region could be required to repay between $1.2 million and $7.5 million to the federal government.
Staff presented several possible next steps: mediation with Dallas officials, continuing the environmental process, or eventually exploring a western route from DFW Airport to Arlington, Fort Worth, and south toward San Antonio and Laredo.
Morris recommended starting with mediation, and the council agreed.
RTC members from Arlington, Fort Worth, and Dallas will meet with Dallas council members, Dallas County, and DART to seek clarification on the January resolution before moving forward on alternative corridors.
Fight Heads Into Next Round
Thursday’s votes moved the RTC closer to formalizing the authority it claims it already has.
They also moved the council toward keeping Morris in the transportation director role after NCTCOG tried to remove him.
If NCTCOG’s Executive Board declines to move forward with the TxDOT agreement, the RTC could seek another fiscal agent.
For now, Morris is back at work, the RTC has begun negotiations to preserve his role, and the region’s transportation power struggle is headed into another round.
The RTC’s next regular meeting is scheduled for June 11.
