DART withdrawal election on Saturday could impact service
Three NTX cities will vote on leaving DART this weekend
Addison, University Park and Highland Park will hold elections on whether the cities will continue to utilize DART, the public transit service who has made concessions to keep member cities. FOX 4's Lori Brown spoke to Addison residents on the upcoming vote.
ADDISON, Texas - Saturday is election day across Texas and Dallas Area Rapid Transit service is on the ballot in three North Texas cities.
Voters in Addison, University Park, and Highland Park can either vote yes to keep DART or no to leave.
The results of the vote could mean a financial hit for DART, as well as potential service losses.
DART Election
What we know:
DART’s new Silver Line just started making stops at Addison Station in October. Now, just a few months later, voters in the city are deciding whether to leave the system.
If the voters say no, DART’s buses and trains will come to a screeching halt within Addison as soon as the election results are certified on May 12.
But DART’s 1% sales tax would continue until all debts are paid off.
What they're saying:
Proponents of the withdrawal believe they can provide a better service for a tenth of the cost that the city currently pays to DART.
Right now, Addison pays about $17.6 million annually to DART through its sales tax.
In March, the Addison City Council approved a contract with Via to provide Addison Orbit, a microtransit alternative to DART, for just $1.85 million annually.
Residents can request a Via ride through the Addison Orbit app. If their stop is outside the city, they are dropped off at one of seven DART stops.
Councilman Randy Smith argued that Via’s so-called door-to-door service is more convenient for riders.
"I would rather be able to see it on my phone and know when it’s coming and I can stay inside my restaurant if I’m calling from a restaurant or stay in my living room and know to step out of my front door when the car gets there than wait for a DART bus in the rain, the heat, the sleet, or the cold," he said.
FOX 4 saw numerous "Vote No" to DART signs in at least one Addison neighborhood. But there were also some advocating "Yes DART."
The other side:
People who use DART to get to and from Addison are not convinced.
"The alternative is not gonna work It’s just not. No. So, I’m voting tomorrow for DART," said Charlisa Moore, who lives in Addison and takes DART to her job at a law office in Downtown Dallas.
She can’t drive due to an eye condition.
"It’s necessary, yes, for me, every day – Monday through Friday," she said.
Addison Councilman Chris DeFrancisco also believes the Via service will make getting to and from the city more challenging.
"For example, if you live in Carrollton and you work in Addison, we’re gonna ask you to take a bus, get to that Beltline Venture stop. You’re gonna wait as our vendor told us at least 12 minutes," he said.
In March, the councilman expressed concerns about Via’s operation in Arlington and Fort Worth.
"I asked their average wait time at their existing cities, their on-time performance percentage, and what percentage of requests go unfilled. I didn’t see those in the presentation anywhere," DeFrancisco said.
Dig deeper:
DART’s member cities only have the option to leave once every six years.
Plano, Farmers Branch, and Irving had withdrawal elections scheduled.
Those elections were canceled after DART’s board agreed to make changes, which included a new funding plan and equal representation for all members.
The Source: FOX 4's Lori Brown gathered information for this story by talking to Addison City Council members and people using the DART service in Addison. Other information comes from past news coverage.