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Council supports expanded Clive transit service under DART plan but resists multi‑year funding commitment
Summary
Staff briefed council on DART's 'Reimagine DART' proposal that would add two regular seven-day routes through Clive and a shared microtransit zone with Urbandale; council welcomed expanded access but declined to commit to a three-year funding pledge, instead asking for one-year evaluation of ridership and results.
Staff presented DART's proposed network changes: Clive would receive two regular seven-day routes and a shared microtransit service area with Urbandale; express routes are proposed to be removed systemwide. Under the proposal Clive's DART tier would shift (tier 4 to tier 3) but staff projected only marginal change in Clive’s annual contribution (an approximate net dollar difference under current assumptions and taxable valuations).
Council members praised the potential coverage and job-access gains—staff noted an estimated 28% more residents would have transit access and a 71% increase in jobs reachable within 45 minutes under the new design—but many members objected to a proposed three-year city funding commitment. Several council members favored a one-year or rolling evaluation (12–18 months) of ridership and microtransit performance before making a longer-term pledge.
Staff will continue engagement with DART and recommended Clive support implementation with an expectation of annual performance reviews and no long-term financial lock-in without review. Council did not adopt a binding long-term funding commitment at this meeting.
