Why It Matters
The withdrawal marks the first time a municipality has left the Dallas Area Rapid Transit agency in more than three decades. Highland Park’s departure will cost DART an estimated $270 million in sales tax revenue over the next 20 years and reduce the transit network serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.
What Happened
Highland Park voters approved a measure Saturday to withdraw from DART, the state’s second-largest public transit agency. Nearly 70 percent of voters in the north central Dallas County suburb supported discontinuing membership in the transit system, according to unofficial election returns.
Two other suburbs, Addison and University Park, held similar referendums Saturday but chose to remain in the agency. In Addison, 70 percent voted to stay connected to DART. University Park voters were more narrowly divided, with 54 percent supporting continued membership.
DART will cease operations in Highland Park on May 14, one day after the city council is scheduled to certify the election results. The withdrawal leaves 12 cities connected through the transit system.
By the Numbers
Highland Park, home to nearly 9,000 residents, contributes approximately 1 percent of DART’s sales tax collections. In fiscal year 2023, the suburb paid $6.3 million in sales tax to the agency but received $1.9 million in transit services.
The withdrawal will result in the closure of 15 bus stops across Highland Park. The suburb is located about four miles north of downtown Dallas.
Highland Park is one of the wealthiest municipalities in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Transit advocates say the exit will make it harder for residents who depend on public transportation to access that part of the metropolitan area.
Zoom Out
The vote concludes years of tension between DART and some suburban member cities. Officials in Highland Park, Addison, and University Park have argued that they pay more in sales taxes to the transit agency than they receive in service value, according to a consultant’s report commissioned by the cities.
Highland Park does not have rail service, though it does receive bus routes and paratransit services for riders with special needs. The suburb will lose access to those paratransit services after the withdrawal takes effect.
The last time any city left DART was in 1989, when Flower Mound and Coppell withdrew from the system. State transportation planners have identified expanded public transit as a priority for Texas, making the loss of a member city a setback for regional connectivity.
What’s Next
Highland Park’s city council is expected to formally certify the election results on May 13. DART will discontinue all transit services in the suburb the following day.
The transit agency will lose access to Highland Park’s sales tax contributions, which officials project would have totaled $270 million over the next two decades. DART leadership says the agency will focus on expanding services with municipalities that remain committed to public transit investment.