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Resident urges caution and negotiation before Farmers Branch votes on DART withdrawal
Summary
Resident David Jones told council he experienced DART service directly, found it safe and clean, and urged the city to negotiate with DART leadership before treating a May 2026 referendum as a 'nuclear option' that would most affect low‑income residents.
David Jones, a Farmers Branch homeowner in District 5, used his allotted public comment time at the Dec. 9 meeting to urge council to pursue negotiation and better information from the Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority (DART) before finalizing plans for a May 2026 election on the city’s DART membership.
Jones described boarding the Green Line at the Farmers Branch station on Nov. 25 and said he found the vehicles and stations "clean, well kept, and safe," and he described positive interactions with DART staff. He said residents who do not use DART often cite cleanliness and safety concerns but that his personal observation differed. Jones also said the city has received inadequate DART responses to requests for ridership data specific to Farmers Branch.
Jones asked how residents can help the council in outreach to DART leadership and urged the council to seek a negotiated agreement before the city’s March 17 deadline to call a withdrawal referendum, calling pulling out of DART "our nuclear option." He thanked Councilmember Roger Veil for responsiveness on this issue and named DART officials he had contacted: Nadine Lee (DART CEO), Randall Bryant (DART board chair), and Nathan Barbera (DART board member shared with Plano).
No formal action was taken at the meeting on the DART issue; Jones’s remarks were recorded as part of the public comment period.
