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Council briefed on proposed DART interlocal agreement; staff says Garland could receive an estimated $24 million
Summary
Staff described a proposed interlocal agreement with DART that would pool sales-tax-derived GMP funds over 2026–2031; Garland's estimate was presented as roughly $24 million and eligible uses include transit infrastructure and complementary transportation services. Staff requested council consensus to sign the ILA by April 30.
City staff presented the draft interlocal agreement (ILA) with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) service-area cities and asked whether Garland should participate.
"So what you see is between 2026 and 2031 as we present, projects to them, we will have available to the city an estimated $24,000,000," staff explained while describing projections and the RTC contribution that augmented the pool. Staff said the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) included a $75,000,000 contribution to be pro‑rated across participating cities and that the first two years of Garland's schedule use actual sales-tax results with later years projected.
Staff walked the council through eligible uses — "public transportation system projects" narrowly defined and a broader category called "complementary transportation services," which the agreement negotiators intended to include medical transportation, street modifications, parking facilities, pedestrian corridors, planning, design and construction. The document sets an April 30, 2026 deadline for cities to sign and limits withdrawal: the agreement prevents member cities from making a withdrawal election before Sept. 30, 2031 (breach results in forfeiture of funds). Staff noted projects must be submitted by June 30 each year and DART has 14 days to approve eligible projects (approval is deemed if no action is taken within 45 days).
Council indicated unanimous consensus in the work session to move forward with signing; staff will return to the council for formal approval as an ordinance or ILA resolution in a future meeting.
