Change Address

VOTE411 Voter Guide

Addison DART Proposition

Ballot Language Proposition A: Shall the Dallas Area Rapid Transit System be continued in the Town of Addison?Vote “Yes” or “No”DESCRIPTION A vote “yes” means the voter wants Addison to stay in DART.A vote “no” means the voter wants Addison to leave DART.The total sales tax rate in Addison is 8.25% (8.25 cents) per dollar of taxable sales:6.25% (6.25 cents) state rate,1% (1 cent) Town of Addison rate, and1% (1 cent) Dallas Area Rapid Transit (“DART”) rate.DART has been built over more than 40 years into a regional web of interconnected transportation services that feed into each other. The Town of Addison has been a member of DART since 1983 and dedicates one cent of its local sales tax to support regional transit services. DART currently provides the Town with eleven bus routes, a transit center, a stop on the new Silver-Line rail route, GoLink on-demand microtransit service and paratransit service (ADA-required transit service for people unable to use fixed-route systems). Each GoLink zone provides service to a rail station or transit center for connections to other DART services. The transit center generates approximately 1,800 boardings each weekday and 50,000+ boardings monthly, including bus transfers and provides 300 parking spots for park-and-ride usage. The DART Silver-Line opened in October 2025 providing a 26-mile commuter rail line connecting multiple cities with access to DFW Airport. Per DART, Addison’s riders in fiscal 2025:Bus 796,569GoLink Rides 12,686Paratransit 1,214Late October through December 2025 when Silver Line rail station opened in Addison:Commuter Rail (Silver Line) 16,020 The Town’s sales tax contribution to DART was approximately $17.6 million in fiscal year 2025. Dart also collects fares from passengers.If voters choose to withdraw from DART, state law requires DART to immediately discontinue all transit service within Addison after votes are canvassed. The Silver-Line rail station would close. DART would then certify a calculation of Addison’s proportional share of its debt. Under Texas law, DART would continue to receive Addison’s 1% sales tax until the Town’s proportional share of outstanding debt is paid off, which current estimates show to be approximately $50 million or more. The Town may have the option to pay its obligation through a lump-sum payment. Once the obligation is satisfied, the Town can ask voters to reauthorize the 1% sales tax for other authorized uses or it can discontinue it.Under Texas law, DART member cities may call a withdrawal election once every six years. If voters choose to not withdraw from DART, the earliest the Town could call another election to withdraw would be 2032.A number of enhancements have recently been instituted to entice cities to stay in DART including:1. DART approved a plan that, if approved by the Legislature, will cause DART to share part of its revenue with member cities. Under the plan the Town will receive back from DART 5% of the Town’s sales tax revenue in year one with an increase of 0.5% annually to a maximum of 7.5% in year six. However, the Town must execute the agreement by April 30 2026 and the plan must also be approved by the state legislature. The timing of this complicates matters as election day for voters is May 2 and early voting begins April 20.2. The Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments approved $75 million to fund transportation-related projects in DART member cities. 3. Recent changes will give the Town a seat by itself on the DART Board and the opportunity to make its opinions heard. Voting will be allocated by percent of population among the member cities with no one city having a majority of the voting power. Dallas is capped at 45% of the Board voting power. Historically, the Town has shared one DART Board representative with Highland Park, Richardson, and University Park.Addison has contracted with Via Transportation Inc. to provide on-demand micro-transit and paratransit services if the voters vote "no." Via Transportation is currently providing similar services in Arlington, Fort Worth and Denton County. The contract is contingent on a "no" vote.The contract is for an initial six month term at a cost of approximately $900,000 (in addition to the fares paid by riders), with an option to renew for an additional one-year term.

Click a candidate icon to find more information about the candidate. To compare two candidates, click the "compare" button. To start over, click a candidate icon.

  • Candidate picture

    Yes - For the Measure

  • Candidate picture

    No - Against the Measure

Information

Reasons to Vote "For" or "Against" Addison DART Proposition

{_btnLabelFor(compare1, _isInSelection(compare1))}
{_btnLabelFor(compare2, _isInSelection(compare2))}
1. Our roads and highways struggle to accommodate the current number of vehicles let alone an increase if DART is discontinued. North Central Texas is expected to grow from 8.6 million to 12.3 million residents by 2050.

2. Public transportation helps reduce car traffic, road congestion, air pollution and lack of parking.

3. Addison has so far managed to fund city services at a high level without the 1% sales tax. Its property tax rate is among the lowest city tax rate in the County.

4. If Addison leaves DART it loses bus, GoLink and Paratransit service. The popular new Silver Line rail station would close. Via Transportation will only provide micro- and paratransit service, so Addison will lose most of its current public transportation and incur expense for micro- and paratransit service while still paying off its debt to DART. Not a good deal.

5. The Town will have to fund whatever transportation alternatives it chooses to offer from other sources for years until its DART debt obligation is satisfied. The 1% sales tax will not be available until its share of debt is paid off.

6. Parking in the Town is currently limited. If people coming into Addison to work or shop drive their cars instead of using DART, parking shortage would be exacerbated.

7. Not just Addison residents would be impacted if Addison were to leave DART. People coming into Addison to work and shop would also be impacted

8. If it leaves DART, the Town would not be able to share in the recent enhancements, both financial and organizational, designed to entice cities to stay.
1. The region may experience tremendous growth in the future, but Addison will not. Addison is built out.

2. Current environmental controls are keeping our air reasonably healthy and should continue to do so in the future.

3. The Town is at a disadvantage to growing cities in the Metroplex, such as Frisco, which do not dedicate 1 cent of their municipal sales tax to DART and instead have the option of using the money for a number of city programs such as economic development or public safety.

4. Addison would have micro- and paratransit service the day DART ceases to provide service and the cost for this will be less that what Addison is paying now once the debt is paid off, freeing up the sales tax.

5. The Town could explore funding options necessary to pay for transportation options if it decides to provide them.

6. The Town's available parking can handle any additional cars without negatively impacting residents.

7. People coming into Addison to work or shop can always drive to their locations.

8. In a few years after all its DART debt obligations are paid off, Addison would be able to reauthorize the 1% sales tax for other programs or discontinue it.
Powered by League of Women Voters Education Fund