Commissioner Webb outlines RTC plan to repurpose roughly $105 million in transit funds for DART-area connections

Commissioner Webb told the Collin County Commissioners Court that the Regional Transportation Council meeting last week focused on DART and on a concept to redirect roughly $105 million of future transit funds to two regional rail connection projects.

Webb said the RTC discussed redesignating funds that normally flow into the region’s general transit allocations so they specifically support connecting the A-train to the Silver Line and linking Trinity Metro to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. ‘‘These two projects are huge projects, are very well supported by the region,’’ Webb said.

Why it matters: Webb said the $105 million would come from transit monies the region already expects to receive; the proposal carries no firm deadline, meaning the reallocated amounts could be spread over years or even a decade. The open-ended timing was a central reason Webb supported the concept: it would create deliverables for the agencies without pressing them to finish construction on an artificial schedule.

What was reported: Webb described two separate elements discussed at the RTC: the reprioritization of about $105 million for the two connection projects and a distinct $75 million transportation package to support DART over five years. He said COG legal counsel also presented on the authorities and powers of the RTC and Council of Governments, but the court heard no extended discussion on that presentation.

Questions from the court centered on whether the money being recommended for the two projects consists of funds already earmarked for transit and how the redistribution would affect nonmember cities. Webb said the funds come from transit monies that are typically distributed proportionally among the region’s transit agencies and that the reprioritization would require the transit agencies to show progress toward the two projects to receive the funds.

Contingency and local reaction: Webb said the reprioritization concept includes a contingency tied to local elections: the larger RTC proposal is intended, in part, to encourage certain cities to remain in DART. He said some mayors (Webb named the mayors of Plano, Irving and Carrollton in describing public signals) indicated they would ask their councils to pull withdrawal elections if a memorandum of understanding or interlocal agreement is signed by the target date. Webb characterized the reprioritization as leveraging money the agencies already expected to receive rather than creating new regional obligations.

Next steps: Webb said the RTC approved the concept at its meeting and that timing and detailed allocations will be resolved later; no direct action by the Commissioners Court was recorded on this item at today’s meeting.