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Highland Village council says it will stay in DCTA for now, presses authority for better service
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Summary
After a lengthy early-work-session debate on Dec. 9, the Highland Village City Council agreed as a unified body to remain a DCTA member in the short term while pushing the Denton County Transportation Authority for more services tailored to Highland Village and drafting roles and expectations for the city's representative.
Highland Village, Texas — The City Council on Dec. 9 debated whether to remain a member of the Denton County Transportation Authority and, after more than an hour of questioning and proposals, agreed to stay in the authority for the near term while pressing DCTA for improved service to Highland Village.
The discussion followed a DCTA workshop and data presentation that showed countywide ridership declines but growth in certain DCTA services. "Increasing Highland Village a-train ridership... would be very difficult for several reasons," said Speaker 3, a councilor who reviewed the workshop, pointing to the Lewisville Lake station's small parking supply and the fact that Highland Village has no station inside city limits.
Rhonda (Speaker 5) argued that voters deserve a direct choice on membership: "Our voters deserve a voice," she said, urging the council to consider placing the question on a future ballot. Councilors also expressed concern about the city's contribution relative to local returns; one member noted Highland Village's annual payment to DCTA was about $1,900,000 last year, a figure that prompted several calls for a third-party review of value.
City counsel read the relevant state law and warned that the DCTA board has statutory power to lower the authority's tax rate for all member cities, not just one. "Section 4.65.54 of the Texas Transportation Code says the board ... may direct the comptroller to collect the authority sales and use tax at a rate that is lower than the rate approved by the voters," Speaker 11 said, adding any reduction would apply across all member cities.
Rather than move to exit, councilors agreed on a package of next steps: to convey a sense of council that Highland Village remains a DCTA member for now; to demand clearer, written expectations from their DCTA board representative; to draft and pursue a short list of service improvements (for example, expanded GoZone coverage and better connections to the Lewisville Lake station); and to schedule regular updates and a targeted workgroup to pursue funding or rate changes if necessary.
Mayor Pro Tem Fiorenzo and other councilors emphasized a dual track of action: negotiate with DCTA for improved services while exploring, in parallel, what a voter-driven review or legislative change would require. "We can walk and chew gum at the same time," Speaker 5 said, urging both negotiation and electorate engagement.
The council did not take a formal vote to leave DCTA. Instead, staff were directed to draft a short sense-of-council statement, prepare a written set of expectations for the city's DCTA representative, pursue clearer performance metrics from DCTA, and report back at regular intervals.
The council said it would continue the discussion in a late work session and follow through with outreach to state legislators to clarify the feasibility and timeline of a ballot measure or statutory change.
