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Despite authorizing a May referendum on withdrawing from Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), Farmers Branch officials insist the city remains committed to public transportation.
City Manager Ben Williamson said the vote Tuesday, Nov. 4, is a strategic move to strengthen the city's negotiating position with DART, not an attempt to abandon mass transit.
"The city is not saying no to transit. It's not saying no to the region," Williamson said. "It's just saying that if we're gonna remain competitive, we can't just rely on our growth and our talents of where we're at. We need to try to be better."
The decision to place a DART withdrawal question before voters comes after years of frustration over what city leaders describe as an inequitable financial arrangement. Williamson said Farmers Branch contributes approximately $24.3 million annually to DART but receives only $20.8 million in services within city limits, creating a $4 million gap.
"With that $4 million difference versus what we pay in versus what we get, you could have enhanced all of our DART bus stops. You could have helped enhance the streetscape of the city," Williamson said. "Instead, we see cities such as Dallas who are recipient city, who, again, they still put in the most, but they're receiving all this additional money that the other cities are not."
The timing of the vote is no accident. Williamson confirmed that Farmers Branch has been coordinating with Highland Park, Plano and Irving, which all voted this week to hold similar elections in May 2026.
"There are no coincidences," Williamson said. "We all work together. There have been so many conversations, and that's part of it is that unified front as well."
He explained that smaller suburban cities need to stand together to be heard by DART, which he described as "a juggernaut" in terms of organizational size.
"Individually, our voices may be kind of small, especially for a city the size of Farmers Branch," Williamson said. "But when you look at it from the perspective of these cities coming together, yes, we're hoping that the voices are heard."
The coordinated approach sends a clear message that the concerns extend beyond any single city, he added.
"If it was just one city, it's just like, oh, maybe just Farmers Branch is concerned, or maybe it's just Plano, or maybe it's just Irving," Williamson said. "But when you start to see the list, you're like, wait a second. All of these cities are starting to say they have concerns. Maybe it's DART that needs to consider where it can be better."
By comparison, the City of Dallas receives $690.5 million in services while contributing $406.8 million in sales tax, according to DART's Update to Cost Allocation by Service Area City from March 19, 2025.
Beyond the financial disparity, Williamson pointed to governance issues as a major concern. Farmers Branch shares a board seat with Plano, meaning the city lacks a full vote on DART's Board of Directors.
"Does our voice matter? Does our opinion matter?" Williamson asked. "Right now, based on how the city has been treated, sometimes it doesn't feel like that's always the case."
The city manager emphasized that calling the election creates urgency for meaningful negotiations while still leaving room for a resolution. Under state law, cities can only hold DART withdrawal elections every six years, making this a rare opportunity.
"The clock is ticking. And that's what this mechanic does. It says the clock is ticking," Williamson said, noting that the new DART board chair, Randall Bryant, "seems eager to help and find a solution."
The city has until March 17, 2026, to rescind the election if negotiations prove productive.
Williamson also highlighted difficulties in obtaining detailed ridership data from DART, making it challenging to assess the true value of service to Farmers Branch.
"It's really hard for DART to tell us who's using DART in Farmers Branch, who's using it to come here, and who's using it to move around the city, and in what capacity," he said.
If voters ultimately approve withdrawal, Farmers Branch would be in a relatively favorable position compared to other cities. Williamson said the city would need to continue paying DART for six to seven years to cover debt obligations, while some other cities face nine to 11 years of payments.
The city manager stressed that the Nov. 4 city council vote should not be misinterpreted by residents who only read headlines.
"A lot of folks will read the headline and not read the whole article," Williamson said. "The city isn't trying to leave transit. Every single city has said that. We all support mass transit."
He described the process as "an evolving conversation" where "no decisions are being made" beyond giving voters the opportunity to weigh in.
"We're not doing this for ourselves. We're doing it for the city," Williamson said. "We should have better here, and we need to do better by our residents."
The unified stance of multiple cities questioning their DART membership represents a powerful coalition, Williamson said.
"When you see one, two, three, four, five, up to six, all saying one thing, that is a powerful message," he said.
Farmers Branch now joins a growing coalition of cities seeking change from DART. Whether the May election actually happens depends on the next five months of negotiations. Either way, the city has leverage it never had before.
Editor's Note: Branch Herald receives advertising revenue from DART. However, our advertising policy is that advertisers do not influence our editorial coverage and that Publisher Kate Bergeron does not cover DART stories.
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