[00:00:01]
IF THEY DECIDE TO GO THROUGH, UH, WITH THE, UH, PARTICULAR ELECTION, THEN OF COURSE THEY WOULD NO LONGER HAVE, UH, THE GOAL LINK SERVICES.AND YOU CAN SEE AS THE AREA IS NO LONGER SHADED, THE NEXT MODE OF UH, SERVICES WOULD BE OUR POTENTIAL PARATRANSIT.
UH, PARATRANSIT IS FEDERALLY MANDATED SERVICE THAT DART MUST PROVIDE TO ITS RESIDENTS TO MEET AND MAINTAIN CERTAIN CRITERIA.
DART, UH, CURRENTLY PROVIDES PARATRANSIT SERVICE WITHIN AND BETWEEN OUR 13 MEMBER CITIES.
DART'S COVERAGE GOES BEYOND THE FEDERALLY MANDATED REQUIREMENT THAT A SERVICE ONLY NEEDS TO BE PROVIDED WITHIN THREE FOURTH MILE OF ANY FIXED ROUTE.
UH, IF A CITY WITHDRAWS DART PARATRANSIT SERVICES FOR THAT CITY WILL END THE DAY, UH, AFTER THAT CITY'S ELECTION IS CANVASSED.
UH, THIS INCLUDES PARATRANSIT TRIPS WHOLLY WITHIN THE CITY PARATRANSIT TRIPS, UH, TO THAT CITY AND FROM ANOTHER MEMBER CITY AND PARATRANSIT TRIPS FROM THAT CITY TO ANY LOCATION WITHIN THE SERVICE AREA.
AGAIN, I AM SPEAKING ONLY ABOUT DART'S PARATRANSIT SERVICES.
ALRIGHT, SO WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT OUR NEXT STEPS AND TIMELINE.
THIS INCLUDES THE POTENTIAL SERVICE CHANGES PRESENTATION.
I HAVE JUST, UH, A FEW MORE SLIDES AND THEN I WILL BEGIN THE Q AND A.
THIS SLIDE HERE SHOWS OUR CALENDAR OF EVENTS.
I WANT TO REMIND YOU OF THE TIMELINE OF HOW WE GOT HERE AND WHERE WE WILL GO NEXT.
UH, RIGHT NOW WE ARE IN THE COMMUNITY MEETING PHASE, UH, WHICH WILL LAST UNTIL THE END OF MARCH.
THE DART BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAVE CALLED A PUBLIC HEARING FOR MARCH 24TH, WHERE ANYONE IS ABLE TO VOICE THEIR THOUGHTS, UH, TO THE BOARD DIRECTLY.
AS A REMINDER, WHILE YOUR INPUT IS IMPORTANT, PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT THE LAW REQUIRES DART TO STOP TRANSPORTATION SERVICE WITHIN A WITHDRAWN CITY STARTING THE DAY, UH, AFTER THE CITY'S ELECTION IS CANVASSED.
THIS INFORMATION IS TO EDUCATE AND TO INFORM YOU OF THE POTENTIAL SERVICE CHANGES.
WITHDRAWAL ELECTIONS, UH, IN THE THREE CITIES ARE SCHEDULED FOR MAY 2ND, AND EACH CITY MAY RESCIND THEIR ELECTION BY MARCH 18TH.
UH, FOR A LONG TERM I HAVE SHARED WITH YOU THESE KNOWN POTENTIAL IMPACTS FOR DARK TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOLLOWING THE CITY'S WITHDRAWAL, UH, AND THE PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS FOR THOSE IMPACTS.
HOWEVER, WHAT IS UNKNOWN IS THE FULL SCOPE OF THE SECONDARY FINANCIAL AND SERVICE IMPLICATIONS OF FULL DART SERVICES AREA.
IF ANY OF THESE THREE CITIES WITHDRAW FROM DART DART WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP RIDERS AND MEMBERS, UM, OF THE CITY RESIDENTS INFORMED OF THOSE POTENTIAL CHANGES IF AND WHEN THEY ARE NECESSARY.
AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR ATTENTION.
I WILL NOW TURN IT BACK OVER TO MS. NADINE.
UM, WE'RE GONNA OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS RIGHT NOW.
UH, SO AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR A COMMENT, YOU MAY FEEL FREE TO, UH, HAND IT TO US ON A CARD OR IF YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK IN THE MICROPHONE.
I THINK WE HAVE A MICROPHONE, RIGHT? OKAY.
SO WE HAVE A MICROPHONE THAT'LL BE GOING AROUND.
UM, WE, UH, NORMALLY IF WE HAVE A HUGE CROWD, WE WOULD LIMIT THE TIME, BUT SINCE WE DON'T HAVE A HUGE CROWD, UM, ALL I WILL SAY IS THAT, UM, IF YOU HAVE A LONG LIST OF QUESTIONS, WE MAY ASK YOU TO WAIT, UM, UNTIL OTHERS, UH, TO, YOU KNOW, OTHERS HAVE A CHANCE TO SPEAK BEFORE YOU FINISH YOUR QUESTIONS.
BUT WE'LL, WE'LL JUST KIND OF MONITOR THAT AS WE GO.
SO, UM, YEAH, SO, UM, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE SERVICES? YES, MA'AM.
UM, I'M NOT THE MOST FAMILIAR WITH YOUR ROUTE NUMBERS.
UM, I THINK IT WAS ON THE SECOND SLIDE THAT HAD THE LIST.
UM, ONE OF THOSE THAT WAS LISTED WAS FORCED.
DO YOU KNOW IF THAT ONE GOES IN FRONT OF? SO THE ROUTE A THE SAME.
[00:06:15]
THANK YOU.UH, I KNOW WE HAD A FEW QUESTIONS NEAR AT THE FRONT HERE.
WE'RE GONNA MAKE A ROUND, WE'LL COME BACK.
I UNDERSTAND THOSE CITY'S, UH, WITHDRAWAL THAT LIKE I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET TO ON PARA TRANSIT, BUT MY QUESTION IS MORE SPECIFIC TO THE UBER SIDE OF PARA TRANSITS OR DISCUSSIONS ABOUT CHANGING OR ELIMINATING THAT UBER PIECE OF PARATRANSIT AND ONLY GOING BACK TO A 24 HOUR SCHEDULE.
UM, SO, SO THERE ARE NO PLANS TO, UM, MODIFY THE WAY WE DELIVER THE SERVICES ON PARATRANSIT.
SO IF UBER SOMETIMES COMES FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR RIDE, THEN THEN THAT WOULD CONTINUE.
UM, BUT I THINK TO YOUR POINT, UM, IF, IF AN ADDISON OR A UNIVERSITY PARK OR HIGHLAND PARK PULLS OUT OF DART, UM, YOU WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE CITIES ON PARATRANSIT.
SO THE METHOD OF THE, THE SERVICE THAT WE PROVIDE TO YOU WILL NOT CHANGE.
I DO THE, UM, ON DEMAND UBER FOR PARA TRANSIT.
NO, THE ONLY, UH, FOR THESE CHANGES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, IT'S REALLY ONLY THE DISCONTINUATION OF ACCESS TO THOSE CITIES THAT CHOOSE TO WITHDRAW.
ALRIGHT, SO I'VE BEEN A DART WRITER FOR SEVERAL YEARS, BUT CARTON I BELIEVE IS ALSO A MEMBER CITY OF BUS NUMBER, SIDE CARTON RIDE SERVICES, STARLAND WRITER.
ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO GET TO CARROLLTON NOW? LIKE I RELY IS NOT GONNA BE A RAIL SERVICE THERE 'CAUSE THAT STOP OFF CONTINUING ON TO CARROLLTON.
THERE'S NO OTHER OPTION UNLESS I GO THROUGH DOWNTOWN BLUE LINE, BACK UP THE GREEN LINE AND THE DOWNTOWN CARROLL AS A BUS RIDER.
HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET ANY, IS THERE TALKS? SORRY.
ADDING THROUGH SERVICES AFTER THESE 200 WORKED WELL FOR US IN THE SENSE THAT PEOPLE USED IT, BUT IT WAS A ABLE TO MAINTAIN.
SO WE SPLIT THE SERVICE IN 2022.
THOSE ROUTES WOULD STATE THAT WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO OPEN.
I THINK TAKE YOUR TRYING TO, AND I I JUST TO CLARIFY IN, IN OUR SERVICE PLANNING TEAM CAN, CAN CALL ME A LIAR IF I'M WRONG, BUT, UM,
[00:10:02]
ADDISON TRANSFER CENTER, UM, BECAUSE IT'S IN ADDISON, IF ADDISON CHOOSES TO WITHDRAW FROM DART, WE HAVE TO RELOCATE THAT TRANSFER ACTIVITY TO ANOTHER PLACE.UM, SO I THINK WE WOULD STILL HAVE SOME LEVEL OF TRANSFER ACTIVITY.
SO, UM, SO HANS MYEL WILL WALK YOU THROUGH HOW, HOW THAT MIGHT WORK FOR YOU IN THE FUTURE.
YEAH, SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THAT JUST BECAUSE LIKE, LIKE IN THE EVENT THAT, UM, ADDISON, UM, WITHDRAWS FROM DART, IT'S NOT THAT WE JUST COMPLETELY GET RID OF ALL OF THAT TRANSFER ACTIVITY 'CAUSE WE HAVE TO JUST RELOCATE IT SOMEWHERE ELSE.
WHAT I WAS GONNA ASK, UM, BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE A BUS THAT GOES FROM THIS SIDE OF, IT'LL STILL GO THROUGH.
SO, SO YOU STILL HAVE ACCESS THOSE YES, YES.
IF YOU'RE TAKING A ROUTE THROUGH ANY ONE OF THESE CITIES, IT JUST WON'T STOP IN THOSE CITIES, BUT YOU CAN STILL RIDE THROUGH THOSE CITIES.
OTHER QUESTIONS? I KNOW YOU'RE HOLDING THESE COMMUNITIES, STARTING COMMUNITIES IN THOSE AREAS TO TRY TO VOTERS IN THOSE CITIES, HAS THERE BEEN ANY VOTERS? YEAH.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION AND I APPRECIATE, UM, I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION.
UM, WE ARE PROHIBITED FROM DOING ANYTHING THAT LOOKS LIKE LOBBYING OR CAMPAIGNING.
SO WE CANNOT TELL VOTERS HOW TO VOTE.
THE ONLY THING WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO, UM, AS A GOVERNMENT ENTITY IS TO INFORM PEOPLE OF THE POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES, UM, OF A WITHDRAWAL.
SO I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING,
JUST BE INFORMATIVE KNOWING WHAT THE POTENTIAL CAN BE.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU, I DON'T KNOW EVERY STUFF INVOLVED WITH THAT.
THEY'RE GONNA, THEY'RE THEY NEED TO.
SO YES, THERE HAVE BEEN, I MEAN, WE'VE DONE, UH, THIS, JUST LIKE THIS COMMUNITY MEETING WE HAVE, WE'VE HAD ONE IN EVERY SINGLE CITY IN THE SERVICE AREA, OR, OR IT'S STILL ON THE DOCKET.
WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO EVERY SINGLE CITY BEFORE MARCH 24TH WHEN THE PUBLIC HEARING IS.
SO, SO THE ANSWER IS YES, WE HAVE BEEN IN EVERY CITY, UM, TO INFORM THEM, UM, NOT TO CAMPAIGN, BUT TO INFORM THEM.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, IT IS, AS, AS I SAID AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, IT'S OUR DUTY TO INFORM PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT, WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF EVERYTHING DISAPPEARED AND, YOU KNOW, THE DAY AFTER THE ELECTION, PEOPLE WOULD BE WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED.
BUT WE HAVE TO TELL YOU AHEAD OF TIME, LOOKING AT ANY POSSIBILITY OF, UH, THE UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, UH, ONCE THE, UH, VOTE HAS BEEN CANVASSED BASED UPON THE DECISION THAT, UH, THE CITIZENS MAKE, THAT ALL SERVICES WILL BE, UH, CONTINUED.
FOR THE QUESTION, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE FREQUENCY? 30 MINUTES INSTEAD OF EVERY, AT, AT THIS POINT? WE, WE, WE DON'T KNOW.
UH, MY DIRECTOR MAY CAN ADD TO THAT, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK INTO ONCE THE CITY OPTS OUTTA THE SYSTEM, IT BE REINSTATED AND WHAT, YES, THEY CAN OPT BACK IN.
UM, BUT JUST LIKE THEY OPT OUT, THE VOTERS STILL HAVE TO VOTE TO, UM, TO COME BACK IN.
SO IT, IT WOULD BE ANOTHER ELECTION.
UM, THE CITY COUNCIL WOULD HAVE TO PUT THE ELECTION ON THE BALLOT, AND THAT COULD BE DONE EITHER THROUGH AN ACTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OR THROUGH A PETITION OF THE RESIDENTS OR THE VOTING, OR THE, I SHOULD SAY THE VOTERS OF THE CITY.
UM, SO YES, THEY CAN GET BACK IN IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO DO THAT.
[00:15:01]
BUT, UH,UM, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'VE HAD, UM, WITH OUR CITIES IS THAT, UM, THE CITIES WOULD LIKE A DIFFERENT GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE.
UM, AND SO WHEN WE'VE TALKED ABOUT GOVERNANCE OF DART, MEANING THE, UH, THE MAKEUP OF THE BOARD, UH, A LOT OF OUR CITY, WELL PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THE CITIES SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'D LIKE FOR EACH CITY TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE.
UM, SO THERE WERE TWO PROBLEMS WE WERE TRYING TO SOLVE WITH GOVERNANCE.
ONE IS, UM, ALL THE CITIES WANTED TO HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE, AT LEAST ONE SEAT AT THE TABLE.
UM, AND THEN BASED ON POPULATION, YOU MAY HAVE MORE SEATS.
UM, THE SECOND PROBLEM WE WERE TRYING TO SOLVE IS THAT NO ONE WANTED ONE CITY, ANY SINGLE CITY, TO HAVE A SIMPLE MAJORITY OF THE BOARD IN TERMS OF VOTES, BECAUSE THEN THEY FELT LIKE ONE CITY COULD CONTROL THE OUTCOME OF EVERY SINGLE VOTE.
AND SO THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF ACTIONS TAKEN, I THINK, UM, I THINK ALL THE CITIES HAVE NOW AGREED ON A GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE OR A GOVERNANCE PROPOSAL THAT WE WOULD NOW HAVE TO TAKE TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE IN 2027 DURING THE 90TH LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
AND IF WE'RE SUCCESSFUL AT GE GETTING THAT GOVERNANCE CHANGE DONE, THEN, THEN OUR BOARD MAKEUP WILL CHANGE.
I THINK IT'LL GO FROM ABOUT 15 BOARD MEMBERS TODAY TO ABOUT 22, I THINK.
SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT BIG, BUT
UM, BUT, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT WAS, UH, AND YOU KNOW, IT'S A PROPOSAL THAT'S DESIGNED TO ADDRESS THE, THE TWO ISSUES THAT WE WERE IDENTIFYING WITH OUR CITIES.
THANK YOU, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE HERE.
THIS, SOMEBODY HAS A QUESTION ABOUT, UH, FOR GARLAND RESIDENTS WHO USE PARATRANSIT TO ACCESS SERVICES IN CITIES THAT ARE MAKING CHANGE, THAT IMPACT.
UM, I'M SORRY, COULD YOU REPEAT THAT QUESTION? YES.
SO FOR GARLAND RESIDENTS WHO USE PARATRANSIT TO SERVICES IN CITIES THAT ARE MAKING CHANGES TO THEIR MICRO TRANSIT SERVICES, FOR EXAMPLE, MULTIPLE RESIDENTS.
SO AS OF RIGHT NOW, UM, NO, NONE OF THE SERVICES THAT ARE IN PLANO WILL BE IMPACTED BECAUSE PLANO ORIGINALLY HAD A WITHDRAWAL ELECTION ON THE BALLOT.
BUT THEY HAVE RESCINDED THAT PLAN.
AND SO PLANO WILL REMAIN A PART OF DART AND THEREFORE ANYONE FROM GARLAND WHO NEEDS TO ACCESS MY POSSIBILITIES OR ANY OF THE OTHER SERVICES IN PLANO THROUGH PARATRANSIT WILL STILL BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
SO EVEN IF PLANO ADOPTS ANOTHER TRANSIT.
SO, UM, SO GOLINK IS, UM, UNLESS, UM, UNLESS THE CITY OF PLANO TELLS US THEY NO LONGER WANT DART PROVIDED GOLINK, UM, AND, AND THERE IS NO PROPOSAL TO DO THAT RIGHT NOW, UM, UNLESS THEY SAY THEY WANNA DISCONTINUE THAT SERVICE, WE WOULD CONTINUE TO OPERATE THAT SERVICE AND, AND, YOU KNOW, RESIDENTS IN GARLAND WOULD BE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT SERVICE JUST LIKE THEY DO TODAY.
UM, I WAS TALKING ABOUT PARATRANSIT.
'CAUSE PARA TRANSITS IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
I MEAN, YOU HAVE MUCH MORE ACCESS, BROADER ACCESS, UH, WITHOUT ANY BOUNDARIES ON PARATRANSIT.
AND SO AS LONG AS A CITY IS, UM, PART OF THE DART SERVICE AREA, UM, ANYONE ON PARATRANSIT CAN GET TO ANY ONE OF THOSE CITIES.
SO, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPAND ON MR. TORAH'S QUESTION ABOUT, UH, I KNOW WE, THE OPTING OUT OF DART CAN ONLY HAPPEN ONCE EVERY SIX YEARS.
THE NEXT CHANCE WOULD BE 2032, BUT TO GET BACK IN, WOULD THEY HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER SIX YEARS TO HAVE AN ELECTION TO GET BACK IN? OR COULD THAT ELECTION HAPPEN IN 20 27, 20 28 WHEN THEY REALIZE THAT THEY MADE A BIG MISTAKE? SO MY UNDERSTANDING OF OPTING IN IS THAT IT CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME.
I DON'T KNOW, I WOULD HAVE TO CHECK, BUT I BELIEVE THAT THE WITHDRAWAL, UH, THAT SORT OF SIX YEARS CYCLE IS ONLY FOR WITHDRAWALS.
UM, I, I DO NOT KNOW OF ANY, UM, CYCLE RELATED TO, UM, OPTING IN.
THOSE, THOSE CITIES THAT, THAT ARE AROUND GARLAND, AND YOU'VE GOT BUSES THAT COME THROUGH GARLAND TO GO ELSEWHERE, AND YOU'VE GOT TRAINS THAT COME THROUGH GARLAND TO GO AS WELL.
[00:20:01]
ONE OF THOSE CITIES OPT OUT.WHAT CHANGES WE USE, PARTICULARLY AT THE, THE, UH, STATIONS, RIGHT?
WHAT CHANGES CAN WE ANTICIPATE? I DON'T ANTICIPATE ANY CHANGES FOR THE RAIL LINES BECAUSE, UH, WELL, I, LET ME QUALIFY THAT.
SO THE PARK CITIES DO NOT HAVE RAIL ACCESS DIRECTLY IN THEIR CITY BOUNDARIES.
SO NONE OF THE STATIONS ON ANY OF THE LIGHT RAIL WILL CHANGE, UM, FOR THE SILVER LINE.
UM, FOR GARLAND RESIDENTS WHO WANT TO USE THE SILVER LINE, THEY JUST SIMPLY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO STOP IN ADDISON, UM, IF ADDISON SUCCESSFULLY WITHDREW FROM DART.
AND SO I WOULD NOT ANTICIPATE ANY MAJOR CHANGES TO THE RAIL SERVICE, UM, IN TERMS OF ACCESS.
OTHER QUESTIONS, DAVE, THIS IS THE GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYBODY IN GARLAND TO REALLY TALK TO ANYBODY, YOU KNOW, IN ADDISON OR THE PARK CITIES.
GET OUT TO VOTE AND VOTE YES TO STAY.
GARLAND'S BEEN A STRONG PART OF DART FROM DAY ONE, AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EACH OF YOU, 'CAUSE YOU'RE INTERESTED CITIZENS TO MAKE CONTACTS WITH EVERY INDIVIDUAL THAT YOU KNOW IN ANY OF THOSE CITIES AND REALLY TALK TO 'EM ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE REGIONAL SERVICE THAT DART PROVIDES.
I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERY ONE OF YOU TO LINK OUT WITH EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, IN ANY OF THOSE CITIES THAT ARE STILL AHOLD IN ELECTIONS, GO VOTE AND GO WITH DART.
SO YOU, SO YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF, HAS THE ISSUE OF THE WORLD CUP COME UP IN ANY OF THE DISCUSSIONS OR DECISION MAKING PROCESS FOR THE CITIES THAT ARE VOTING ON THIS? THE ISSUE OF THE WORLD CUP GAMES COMING IN JUNE AND JULY HAS COME UP.
UM, I, YOU, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW THESE SMALLER CITIES FEEL ABOUT THE WORLD CUP.
UM, AND, BUT, BUT IT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED CERTAINLY AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL AS WELL AS AT THE, YOU KNOW, WITHIN THE DART SERVICE AREA.
UM, I GUESS THAT'S ALL I REALLY CAN SAY ABOUT THAT.
UM, BUT YEAH, THE WORLD CUP IS SOMETHING OF GREAT CONCERN TO US.
I HAD JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK COMMENTS.
I LIVE IN HIGHLAND PARK AND I WANNA SAY, FIRST OF ALL, I AM VERY, VERY GRATEFUL FOR DART OVER THE YEARS, NOT ONLY FOR THE BUSES AND TRAINS, BUT PRIMARILY FOR THE PARATRANSIT SYSTEM, WHICH I HAVE USED SINCE THE LATE EIGHTIES.
AND NO SYSTEM IS PERFECT, BUT THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST OF ANY THAT I'VE SEEN AND, AND THINGS IN A LOT OF WAYS ARE GETTING BETTER.
SO I WILL SAY, UH, THAT I AM GRATEFUL THAT IRVING FARMER'S BRANCH AND PLANO OPTED TO STAY IN DART.
I HAPPEN TO WORK AT ENVISION, UH, THREE DAYS A WEEK IN THEIR CALL CENTER AND THEY'RE IN FARMER'S BRANCH.
SO I'M VERY GRATEFUL THAT, UH, FARMER'S BRANCH HAS HAD THE GOOD SENSE TO STAY IN DART.
UH, BUT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE PARK CITIES AND ADDISON.
'CAUSE EVEN THOUGH I DON'T WORK THERE, I LIKE SO MANY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE LIKE TO SOCIALIZE AND GO TO RESTAURANTS AND OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT.
AND, UH, WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST? WHAT CAN I DO OR HOW CAN I MAKE THE BEST CASE FOR I I, WELL, FOR HIGHLAND PARK, FOR INSTANCE, STAYING IN DART, I HAVE TRIED TALKING WITH THE, UM, CITY HALL AT, UH, INDIVIDUALLY AT, AT, UM, HIGHLAND PARK.
THEY CLAIM THAT THEY ARE DEVELOPING A TRANSIT SYSTEM FOR THEIR RESIDENTS THAT WILL GO TO OTHER PLACES.
BUT THE THING IS, IT SEEMS TO ME DART HAS BEEN AROUND SO MUCH LONGER.
[00:25:01]
YOU ALL KNOW PRETTY MUCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING.AND SO MY CONCERN IS NOT ONLY FOR ME, BUT OTHER PEOPLE WHO WOULD WANT TO VISIT ME, LET'S SAY THAT THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET THERE.
SO, UH, WHAT SUGGESTIONS DO YOU HAVE TO TRY TO MAKE OUR CASE A LITTLE STRONGER SO THAT HOPEFULLY PEOPLE WILL BE AWARE AND THEY WILL VOTE ACCORDINGLY AND DO THE RIGHT THING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND FOR YOUR QUESTION.
UM, UH, SO YOU WERE NOT HERE YET.
I HAD TO EXPLAIN TO EVERYONE WHO'S ATTENDING TODAY THAT, UH, DART HAS TO WALK A VERY DELICATE LINE, UM, SO THAT WE DON'T LOOK LIKE WE'RE TRYING TO INFLUENCE VOTERS.
BUT WHAT I CAN SAY IS, FIRST OF ALL, WE APPRECIATE YOUR ADVOCACY.
UM, THE SECOND THING THAT I'LL SAY IS THAT TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU NEED ANY INFORMATION ABOUT DART, UM, TO SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS, UM, PEOPLE WHO, YOU KNOW, UM, WE'RE HAPPY TO PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION.
SO, UM, WE CAN GIVE YOU OUR CONTACT INFORMATION IF YOU'D LIKE TO CALL US AND, AND LET US KNOW WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION YOU NEED.
WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE IT FOR YOU.
I'M CURIOUS AS TO HOW THE CITIES THAT, UH, WERE THINKING OF OPTING REVENUE, TAX REVENUE PROVIDED, WAS IT STANDARD FORMULA OR DID IT VARY FROM CITY TO CITY? YEAH, SO, UM, THERE'S A, UH, VERY OFF SIDED STUDY CALLED THE EY STUDY THAT WAS DONE, UM, AT THE BEHEST OF, OF ONE OF OUR LEGISLATORS WHO CAME FROM PLANO.
UM, IT WAS A PROMISE THAT DART MADE TO, UH, PROCEED WITH THAT STUDY, WHICH WAS LOOKING AT THE COST ALLOCATION AMONG THE 13 SERVICE AREA CITIES.
AND SO THAT COST ALLOCATION, THE METHODOLOGY, UH, DEVELOPMENT, EXCUSE ME, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THAT METHODOLOGY WAS FRANKLY OUT OF THE HANDS OF DART STAFF AND WAS, UM, CREATED BY THE CITIES.
AND SO THE CITIES GOT TOGETHER AND THEY WORKED WITH THE CONSULTANT AND THEY FIGURED OUT HOW TO DIVVY UP ALL THE DIFFERENT COSTS.
AND, UM, AND SO THERE, THAT WAS ONE RESULT OF HOW COSTS COULD BE ALLOCATED.
AND, UM, AND THAT STUDY AND THE RESULTS OF THAT STUDY HAVE BEEN HELD UP AS THE, UH, SORT OF THE MEASURE OF, YOU KNOW, REVENUES VERSUS EXPENSES, UM, FOR EACH OF THE SERVICE AREA CITIES.
AND THAT'S REALLY THE BASIS FOR A LOT OF THE DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER PEOPLE FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GETTING VALUE OUT OF DART.
WHAT THE STUDY DID NOT INCLUDE IS IT DID NOT INCLUDE THE INCREASES IN LAND VALUES AND, AND, UM, IN, UH, SALES TAXES THAT ARE GENERATED FROM NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT HAPPENS AROUND DART STATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
IT DOESN'T TALK ABOUT, UM, JUST THE GENERAL PROPERTY VALUE INCREASES AROUND OUR STATIONS AND, AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
UM, IT DIDN'T ACCOUNT FOR THE SILVER LINE, WHICH WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT THE TIME.
SO THERE WERE A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WERE NOT INCLUDED FOR A LOT OF REASONS.
UM, AND, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, GOSH, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF LIKE YOU ASK TRAFFIC ENG THREE TRAFFIC ENGINEERS ABOUT WHAT THE SOLUTION IS TO FIX TRAFFIC AND YOU'RE GONNA GET THREE DIFFERENT ANSWERS, RIGHT? SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY ONE OF THOSE THINGS THAT I THINK EVERYBODY COULD DO THINGS A DIFFERENT WAY.
AND SO THEY CHOSE ONE METHODOLOGY AND THAT'S, THAT WAS THE BASIS FOR DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT THEY WERE GETTING VALUE FROM DART.
OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? AND I I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, UM, WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP YOU HERE ALL NIGHT,
UM, IF YOU ARE, IF YOU'RE EXHAUSTED FROM ASKING QUESTIONS, UM, WE'D BE HAPPY TO GIVE YOU SOME OF YOUR TIME BACK TONIGHT.
WE HAVE ONE IN THE BACK THERE.
SO WE'LL GET, WE'LL GET YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION AND PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION BACK TO YOU.
UM, ON THE SECURITY SIDE OF THINGS, WE HAVE INVESTED A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS TO IMPROVE SECURITY, RELIABILITY AND CLEANLINESS ON OUR SYSTEM.
UM, WE DO HAVE OUR CHIEF OF POLICE HERE, WHO I'M SURE WOULD BE HAPPY TO GIVE YOU ALL THE STATISTICS ABOUT HOW OUR CRIME HAS GONE DOWN IN DOUBLE DIGITS, UM, OVER THE
[00:30:01]
LAST FEW YEARS.SO, UM, SO WE'VE ADDED A HUNDRED TRANSIT SECURITY OFFICERS ONTO OUR SYSTEM, UM, THROUGH THAT INVESTMENT OF A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS FOR RIDER RIDERSHIP IMPROVEMENT.
WE, WE ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO DO MORE.
WE ALSO HAVE OUR MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESPONSE TEAMS WHO ARE THERE TO INTERCEPT, UM, FOLKS WHO ARE IN COGNITIVE CRISIS, UM, AND HAVING, HAVING SOME ISSUES.
AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET THEM CONNECTED WITH SERVICES SO THAT THEY ARE, UH, GETTING THE HELP THAT THEY NEED.
AND SO WE'RE CONTINUING TO DO THAT.
UM, CERTAINLY, UM, EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, WE, WE ARE MINDFUL OF THE COSTS AND SO, UH, WE TRY TO ALLOCATE RESOURCES AS NEEDED.
BUT OF COURSE WE NEVER HAVE ENOUGH RESOURCES.
JUST 1, 1, 1 OTHER THING I WAS GONNA COMMENT IS, UH, DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.
AND THEN WE HAVE THE GENTLEMAN HERE, WE ALSO HAVE ONE IN THE BACK TOO.
WHAT IS, UH, DARTS? UM, I'M SORRY, COULD YOU REPEAT THAT AGAIN? OH, WOW.
I HAVE TO CHECK ON THAT AND UM, GET BACK TO YOU ON WHAT OUR FAIR BOX, UH, RECOVERY RATIO IS.
UM, THERE'S A TERM, A WONKY TERM FOR GEEKS LIKE ME IN TRANSIT ABOUT RECOVERY RATIO, FAIRBOX RECOVERY RATIO.
UM, SO WE'LL HAVE TO GET THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU.
I DON'T HAVE IT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED THAT YOU WERE DRIVING
I'M NOT SURE I CAN ANSWER THAT QUESTION FOR YOU.
UM, WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM A NUMBER OF CITIES, NOT JUST THE ONES WHO HAVE WITHDRAWAL ELECTIONS, BUT, UH, WE'VE HEARD THAT THIS IS REALLY ABOUT REVENUE AND THE FACT THAT THEY ARE, UM, I MEAN, EVERYONE IS RIGHT.
EVERYONE IS HURTING FOR REVENUE AND, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE MORE RESOURCES TOO.
UM, BUT I THINK WHEN, WHEN YOU'RE NEEDING TO GENERATE MORE REVENUE, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LOOK IN OTHER UNUSUAL PLACES.
AND UNFORTUNATELY THAT HAPPENS TO BE DART RIGHT NOW.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YES, MA'AM.
WE HAVE ONE IN THE MIDDLE RIGHT THERE IF YOU WANNA, IF YOU DON'T MIND.
UM, I LOOK UP THIS MAP HERE AND, UH, THE, UH, SERVICE IMPACT, IT, IT'S LIKE LOOPING AROUND.
WHAT IS THAT? IS THAT NOLL TRAIL? IS IT OKAY.
DOES THAT MEAN IT'S LIKE, THIS MIGHT BE TOO EARLY TO ASK, BUT, UM, DO YOU KNOW IF THAT'S GONNA BE LIKE THE NEW ADDISON TRANSIT CENTER? LIKE WHERE IT HAS LIKE ALL THE BUSES GO TO IT SPECIFICALLY? NO, NO, IT'S NOT.
SO, UM, WHAT, SO THERE JUST WON'T BE ONE.
[00:35:01]
NOW? LIKE IF, IF THIS, WELL AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE STILL LOOKING INTO RIGHT NOW, BUT UM, THERE'S, I CAN'T GO ANY FURTHER THAN THAT.I MEAN, WE'RE SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING INTO.
YEAH, I'LL JUST SAY TOO THAT THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HAVE IN ADDISON IS NOT AT NOLL TRAIL.
SO, UM, WE WOULD HAVE TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO DROP PEOPLE OFF SO THEY CAN DO THE TRANSFERS AT THAT LOCATION, BUT, UM, BUT I THINK FINDING A PERMANENT SOLUTION IS SOMETHING WE WOULD HAVE TO CONTINUE TO WORK ON BECAUSE AGAIN, IF THIS HAPPENS LITERALLY OVERNIGHT, UM, WE HAVE TO HAVE SOMETHING.
AND EVEN, EVEN IF WE WERE TO START NOW AT BUILDING A NEW TRANSIT CENTER, WHICH WE WOULDN'T DO BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW THE OUTCOME OF THE ELECTION, BUT EVEN, EVEN IF WE STARTED NOW, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO FINISH IT IN TIME, UM, IF WE NEEDED TO MAKE THAT CHANGE.
SO, UM, SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT HAPPENS.
UH, ADDISON'S A BIT OF A CHALLENGE FOR US BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH THAT HAPPENS IN ADDISON TODAY THAT IF WE DID LITERALLY HAVE TO MOVE IT OVERNIGHT, THIS IS THE BEST WE CAN DO, UM, AS A TEMPORARY SORT OF, UH, OPERATION WE HAVE.
UM, UM, SO THERE WERE A LOT OF COMMENTS ABOUT BEING DISSATISFIED WITH DART SERVICE.
UM, AND I, UH, I AM NOT SURE, UH, WHERE THEY GOT THEIR INFORMATION NECESSARILY.
'CAUSE THE INFORMATION THAT WE WERE HEARING FROM THEM WASN'T NECESSARILY ALIGNING WITH WHAT WE UNDERSTOOD TO BE TRUE.
UM, I, I'LL BE THE FIRST TO ADMIT THAT WE CAN DO BETTER.
UM, WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER AND THERE ISN'T ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO BE BETTER THAN DART, YOU KNOW? SO, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR HOPE HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH OUR CITIES TO MAKE THE SERVICE BETTER.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE WILL CONTINUE TO TRY TO DO THAT, UH, WITH WHATEVER CITIES WE DO HAVE REMAINING AFTER THESE ELECTIONS.
I'M GONNA MAKE A LAST CALL HERE, UM, BECAUSE I, AGAIN, I DON'T WANNA KEEP YOU HERE UNLESS YOU DO HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY LAST QUESTIONS? OKAY, LAST CALL.
WE APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU AND THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TONIGHT.
UM, AND WE'LL GIVE YOU 40 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME BACK.