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Cooke County asked to back full funding for Amtrak Heartland Flyer
Summary
A resident urged the Cooke County Commissioners Court to adopt a resolution urging state lawmakers to fully fund the Amtrak Heartland Flyer, citing economic benefits and planned ADA upgrades; the transcript records discussion but no formal vote on the resolution.
At a Cooke County Commissioners Court meeting that began at 10 a.m., a resident asked the court to approve a resolution urging Texas lawmakers to restore and increase state funding for the Amtrak Heartland Flyer rail route.
The request came from William Myers, who told the County Judge and commissioners the route generates what the resolution describes as $5,300,000 in direct economic benefit and supported operations and maintenance jobs in Fort Worth. "A lot of that's in Fort Worth ... 50 plus employees," Myers said. He said Amtrak was asking the state to raise its contribution from about $2,500,000 per year to $3,500,000 per year and that the funding language currently sits in "Article 11" of the budget, which he said would doom the route if left unchanged.
The nut graf: The ask would be a state-level budget decision that could be taken in the upcoming Texas legislative appropriations process; the court was asked to send a supporting resolution to elected officials to influence that process.
Myers also told the court that Amtrak has budgeted $1.9 million for ADA improvements at the Santa Fe station in 2026 and described limitations for passengers with disabilities at present. "It's definitely not ADA accessible now," he said, describing current boarding as assisted with a small step ladder and staff help. He argued the route benefits Cooke County and North Texas more broadly, including connections that could tie the route into longer north–south corridors and the Southwest Chief.
The transcript records the presentation and the County Judge asking a clarifying question — "All you're asking is that we approve this resolution that you have presented today?" — and Myers replying, "Yes." The transcript does not record a motion, second or final vote on the resolution during the meeting excerpt provided.
Because this is a request to influence a state budgeting process, any outcome would depend on action by Texas lawmakers and is not a local appropriation.
The court packet contained a copy of the proposed resolution, which the presenter said he wanted forwarded to elected officials as the state budgeting process progressed. The transcript does not show further debate, conditions, or a formal court action on the resolution during the recorded meeting.
Looking ahead, county officials would need to either place the resolution on a future agenda for formal action or advise the presenter on next steps for sending the packet copies to state legislators; the transcript does not record such direction.
