Rowlett council rescinds 2024 DART funding cut and urges full funding amid state threats

Rowlett City Council on March 4 unanimously voted to rescind city Resolution 044-24 and adopt a new resolution urging full funding of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system and continued investment in public transit.

The action followed a presentation from DART board chair Gary Slagle, DART president and CEO Nadine Lee and board member Mark Enoch outlining a strategic review, near-term service changes and a series of commitments to member cities. The council vote to rescind and replace the earlier resolution was 6-0, with a motion by Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Schindler and a second from Councilmember Reeves.

The change matters, council members and DART representatives said, because proposed legislation in the Texas Legislature could cut a substantial portion of DART’s sales-tax revenue. DART officials presented steps the agency has taken to address suburban members’ concerns and to make the system more usable for cities like Rowlett.

Nadine Lee, DART’s president and CEO, said the agency had worked directly with member cities to understand concerns and to adjust policy and operations. “We actually amended the PTI ILA, and extended the deadline so that we could continue to make those funds available to the city of Rowlett,” Lee said, referring to public-transportation improvement funds previously allocated to Rowlett. Lee also described a new shared-use agreement for DART’s park-and-ride lot to provide overflow parking for Rowlett’s downtown and said the agency added a GoLink access point to Firewheel Town Center.

Gary Slagle, DART board chair, described the board’s intent to preserve service levels and said the board had codified a supermajority requirement for major additions to the service plan, increasing the threshold to two-thirds (10 votes) so changes cannot be made by a simple Dallas-majority vote alone. Mark Enoch, the board member who represents Rowlett on DART, pressed the council to support DART as the agency faces proposed cuts and a possible long-term revenue shortfall.

Public comments at the council meeting were strongly in favor of rescinding the prior resolution. Andrew Massey, who identified himself as a Rowlett resident, told the council, “DART’s facing an existential threat right now with the proposed legislation in the Texas House and Senate.” He asked Rowlett to oppose pending bills in Austin and to preserve the light-rail and GoLink services that community plans rely on.

Councilmember Reeves said he had changed his position since last summer and now supported full funding after reviewing DART’s finances and recent staff briefings: “Therefore, I support this new resolution to continue fully funding DART for the time being,” Reeves said. Councilmember Hsu and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Schindler also urged support, citing improved DART responsiveness and partnership on Rowlett projects.

The resolution approved by council includes language rescinding Resolution 044-24 (the July 2024 action to reduce DART funding) and expresses Rowlett’s support for full funding of DART and continued regional investment in public transit. Council amended the recital language to clarify the sales-tax description (correcting a drafting ambiguity in the second and third whereas paragraphs) before adopting the resolution.

DART officials emphasized several concrete items they and Rowlett city staff have agreed to: an extension of the Public Transportation Improvement interlocal agreement (PTI ILA) deadline to allow Rowlett to use underspent PTI funds for other eligible projects; a shared-use agreement allowing Rowlett to use DART’s park-and-ride lot for downtown events and overflow parking (with coordination to avoid service disruption); the addition of a GoLink access point at Firewheel Town Center; work with regional planners on a Martin Drive gateway to better connect the park-and-ride and downtown; and participation parameters for tax-increment-style reinvestment that could streamline DART participation in local economic development projects.

Councilmembers and DART leaders framed the vote as both a regional economic development decision and a hedge against rising traffic and constrained roadway capacity over coming decades. The council’s resolution and the unanimous vote provide Rowlett’s formal support as DART seeks to influence legislative decisions in Austin and to continue negotiations with member cities.

Votes at a glance: Rescind Resolution 044-24 and adopt a resolution supporting full DART funding — motion by Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Schindler; second by Councilmember Reeves; vote 6-0 (approved).

The council’s action came after the DART presentation and public comment period; DART representatives stayed to answer questions from council members and staff. Councilmembers said they expect continued engagement with DART on downtown development, shared parking and local mobility planning.