Another North Texas community is considering the possibility of cutting ties with Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART). 

Monday, the Town of Addison posted notice of a meeting on Dec. 2 to allow the city council to consider a spring election for residents to decide whether to withdraw from DART. 

Addison said it contributes a one-cent sales and use tax to DART. Beginning in 1984, Addison said it has contributed over $400.5 million to DART; $17.6 million in Fiscal Year 2025.

Several communities are questioning their return on investment in the transit agency. The City of Plano is negotiating with DART after calling for a similar vote along with Irving, Farmers Branch, and Highland Park.

According to the Town of Addison, "If those elections are successful, the remaining costs and certain service reductions would be borne by the remaining cities."

Member cities have the right to withdraw from DART once every six years; 2026 is an eligible "out" year for DART member cities, according to the Town of Addison. 

City leaders question DART's value  

Farmers Branch said that in 2023, the city gave DART just over $24 million, but only about $20 million was spent on services in the city. 

Irving's mayor, Rick Stopfer,  says "...only 1% of residents use DART or TRE (Trinity Railway Express) service daily while investing more than $115 million annually into the system."

Plano city leaders said, "DART spent $304.1 million on bus service, with only $11.5 million spent in Plano. Of the bus stops in the DART system, only 4.11% are in Plano."

DART's CEO, Nadine Lee, tried to defend that math during a news conference in late October

"A lot of people would want sort of a dollar in and a dollar out," Lee previously said. "With us, just not the way things work."

Plano also questions why DART awarded more than $800,000 in executive bonuses last year.

DART defends funding model

Last month, Randall Bryant, the chairman of DART's board, would only say this when asked about it:  

"So those bonuses, and all of our pays, were reviewed, or they potentially have the potential to be reviewed by the city of Plano and all of our cities," said Bryant. "I think there's a gap between the public perception of how things stand with DART."