Addison rejects special election over possible DART withdrawal
The City of Addison will not have a special election in the spring to decide whether to leave Dallas Area Rapid Transit.
Town leaders voted to deny a call for a special election, which would have given voters the chance to decide whether the town should leave the public transit system.
DART has served Addison since the early 80s, supported by a one-cent sales tax. City leaders say the town contributed more than $17 million this fiscal year, but some argued the town is not receiving equal value in transit services. Not everyone agrees.
More than 40 people spoke at Tuesday night's meeting, most urging the town to stay with DART.
"I don't drive, so to get from point A to point B I almost always have to use a DART bus, a DART train, paratrain," said Madison McNair. "Their paratrain services are really fast and a huge reason why disabled people can get to their appointments, to see their family and friends. All of those things."
The council's vote means Addison will not join Plano, Irving, Highland Park and Farmers Branch, which have all called for the vote in May. DART says if cities vote to withdraw, services would stop immediately, though the towns would still be required to continue paying sales taxes under existing financial obligations.