Farmers Branch frames DART membership for voters, outlines alternative transit plans

Mayor Terry Lynn said Farmers Branch will put membership in Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) to a public vote and that staff are preparing alternative transportation options to ensure residents do not lose service.

"Our city is dealing with a very serious issue right now," Mayor Terry Lynn said, describing negotiations with DART as "all or nothing" and saying the city sent a three‑page letter to the DART board and CEO on Dec. 17 but had received no substantive response. He told the audience that the council authorized him to send the letter and that the decision whether to remain in DART will rest with voters.

The mayor outlined the stakes: Farmers Branch currently contributes a 1¢ local sales‑tax share to DART. If voters approve withdrawal, Lynn said, the city's 1¢ contribution would be applied first to Farmers Branch's pro rata share of DART debt (which he estimated at about $180,000,000), a liability he said could take roughly five to seven years to pay off before the penny could be reinvested in local services. "That money belongs to the taxpayers of Farmers Branch," Lynn said.

Residents asked how a departure would affect daily service. David Jones, a resident who spoke during the Q&A, asked whether the city could postpone a May election to November to preserve negotiating leverage; Lynn said the council could not promise to call off the May election and reiterated the election right is part of the DART membership contract. City Manager Ben Williamson told the audience that the member‑city contract includes a six‑year election right and that exercising that right is not a contract breach but the contractual procedure for member cities.

On operations, Williamson said the city has issued an RFI to transit providers and will base procurement on data about who rides, where and when. "The whole alignment has been structured to say, if something does happen, you all shouldn't pay the price as residents for that change," Williamson said, describing plans for on‑demand and paratransit‑equivalent services that city staff expect will connect to the regional system.

Residents asked for transparency on ridership and cost comparisons. Several speakers requested month‑by‑month ridership counts for Farmers Branch and third‑party analyses of the city's contribution versus passenger miles. Lynn said the city has received data from DART and will post public documents and additional information as it becomes available.

City officials said key items will be available before any vote: procurement outcomes, projected resident fares and service levels, and estimated costs for locally contracted alternatives. "You will have that information beforehand," Williamson said. The mayor and staff said they will publish cost and service proposals so voters can make an informed decision.

Next steps: the city will continue outreach, publish DART data and any studies it receives, complete the procurement process and return recommendations publicly to the council ahead of the election.