A Texas legislative proposal threatens to significantly reduce the funding for Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART).
Texas House Bill 3187, authored by Rep. Matt Shaheen (R-Plano), proposes a 25% reduction in DART’s one-cent sales tax collection from its member cities. The funds would be placed into a new general program that cities can use for other transit-related projects.
Cities would then be allowed to use these funds to improve other transportation methods, including sidewalks and highways.
This bill has advanced from the House Transportation Committee and is now poised for a vote in the full House.
Shaheen testified in March that the bill had been filed due to “DART’s unwillingness to do what’s right” and negotiate in good faith.
“DART is now bringing financial harm to many of its member cities. Six of the member cities are forced to overpay DART for their services. And the imbalance is so extreme, one city is receiving less than 50 cents on the dollar,” he explained, per Fox 4 KDFW.
Unsurprisingly, many public transportation officials have spoken out against this bill after it was passed into the Texas House.
“This bill isn’t a tweak to funding. It’s a full-on dismantling of the DART system,” said Chief Communications Officer at DART Jeamy Molina in a news release.
“The people of North Texas voted twice to fund a unified, regional transit system. House Bill 3187 completely ignores their voice and puts the future of public transportation in jeopardy.”
DART continues to state in this news release that the bill would result in 5,800 jobs being cut in North Texas alone while slashing transportation service levels by roughly 30%.
Dallas Area Transit Alliance vice president Tyler Wright echoed these statements and said that HB 3187 is an “existential threat to public transit in the metroplex,” and the group will continue to fight against its implementation.
“We encourage public transportation supporters across the metroplex to voice their opposition with their city and state leadership,” he said, per KERA.
Trinity Metro, which owns and operates the Trinity Railway Express line (TRE) alongside DART, has also voiced its opposition to this bill.
“Without DART’s investment, Trinity Metro would not be able to continue the current level of operation for TRE,” Trinity Metro’s Chief Strategy Officer Anette Landeros said in a statement sent to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“We remain concerned for our Tarrant County residents who regularly use TRE as their preferred way to seamlessly commute to Dallas for work, sports events and concerts. Because we are in the business of connecting people to life, we worry about the impact this would have on connectivity in our booming Metroplex.”