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DART briefs Addison council on Silver Line, service asks and threat to transit sales tax
Summary
DART officials updated the council on local service requests tied to the Silver Line opening, possible circulator or townwide GoLink service, and a regional legislative threat to reduce the transit sales tax; councilmembers asked staff to consider a resolution supporting retention of the full 1-cent DART sales tax.
Officials from Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) briefed the Addison City Council on service improvements requested by Addison, progress on the Silver Line, and a regional effort in the Texas Legislature to reduce DART's 1-cent sales tax dedicated to transit.
Nadine Lee, DART CEO, said the authority is prioritizing a set of town-specific service improvements that include higher-frequency service on regional routes that serve Addison (Routes 229 and 239), re-routing some buses away from Quorum Drive, improvements at the Addison Transit Center and adding either a local circulator shuttle or a townwide GoLink microtransit zone. "The silver line will be opening before the end of 2025," Lee said, and DART is coordinating transit-center renovations and early site work. Lee also said the transit agency is studying adding Addison to a full GoLink zone and is meeting with the town's selected transit-oriented-development developer to coordinate redevelopment.
Mark Enoch, a long-time DART board member, and Chair Gary Slagle described the larger regional context: several suburban cities have advanced resolutions seeking to transfer a portion (25%) of the DART sales tax from the transit agency back to the originating cities for local economic development. DART's board has taken a position to retain the full penny and instead fund expanded or improved service and local economic-development partnerships. Officials said staff presented an initial estimate of roughly $19.1 million in potential service investments across cities and that DART's reserve ("May Fund") currently holds about $20 million, which could allow early investments while the board decides longer-term priorities.
Councilmembers asked for clarifications about timelines, vehicle sizes and security. Councilmembers expressed support for retaining the full 1-cent transit sales tax: several councilmembers said they would consider a resolution in Addison to signal support while DART pursues legislative work in Austin. Mayor and council directed staff to place a DART-related resolution on an upcoming council agenda; City Manager David Gaines confirmed staff would add the item for council consideration.
Ending: DART officials said they will supply mapping and cost details for the proposed improvements and the town and DART staff will continue coordination on the transit center, GoLink zoning and Silver Line opening preparations. The council asked staff to place a measure supporting the full DART penny on a near-term meeting agenda for formal council consideration.
