Plano council votes to reduce payments to DART as ridership falls

Plano leaders want to reduce payments to DART

One of the biggest cities in DART's service area is questioning the costs. Plano leaders want to make some changes to how much they pay the transit agency.

PLANO, Texas - The Plano City Council approved a resolution calling for a sales tax reduction to Dallas Area Rapid Transit.

On Monday, leaders discussed reducing the amount the city pays DART because they are concerned the city isn't getting its money's worth.

Council members said ridership is well below pre-pandemic levels even with record increases in the city’s sales and use tax revenues.

DART member cities each contribute 1 cent of their sales and use tax to the agency. The new resolution reduces that to ¾ of a cent at most.

It’s not clear how the vote affects the city’s relationship with DART.

The issue came up in April of last year when Plano leaders requested more transparency from DART.

DART approved a plan to hire an outside consultant to review service costs and issue a report for its 13 member cities.

Plano voters may ultimately need to approve the motion.