Regional Transportation Council commits $180M to stabilize DART before Plano, Irving votes

The Regional Transportation Council voted Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, to commit $180 million in regional transportation funding, with $75 million explicitly tied to a Dallas Area Rapid Transit funding plan, a move that could change the calculus for Plano and Irving’s planned May withdrawal elections. The RTC is the 45-member transportation policy body of the North Central Texas Council of Governments and cast the vote as part of a broader compromise intended to stabilize DART and related regional rail services.

Under the package approved by the RTC, DART would return up to 10% of member cities’ one-cent sales-tax contributions over the next six years for cities to spend on mobility and transportation projects. The plan also calls for transferring regional rail operations to an independent rail authority, with specific lines named for potential transfer including Denton County Transportation Authority’s 21-mile A-train, Trinity Metro’s Trinity Railway Express, and DART’s Silver Line. Officials said creation of that independent authority and other structural changes would require action in the Texas Legislature.

Regional transportation director Michael Morris characterized the meeting in positive terms, saying, “I think it was a really great day for the region,” and “I'm very pleased with the leadership everyone exercised today.” Morris also tied next steps to the political status of suburban withdrawal requests: “If in fact Plano and Irving do withdraw their request for an election, then I think you'll see the RTC speed up that conversation in the spring.”

The RTC package specifies $75 million as part of the $180 million to support DART’s funding plan; the remaining $105 million was not broken out in detail in the RTC action. DART’s current funding model rests on a one-cent sales tax levied by member cities, a point suburban officials have repeatedly raised while arguing that the tax “far exceeds the service they receive” from the agency.

Plano and Irving, the two largest cities that have called withdrawal elections, indicated they could call off their May ballots if the package advances. RTC members and staff described the package as a compromise aimed at persuading suburban members to remain in the regional system rather than sever ties through withdrawal elections.

Social media reaction included a reposted summary of the RTC action that recorded a dozen reactions, eight comments and one share at the time of capture; commenters included Soraya Santos summarizing the vote, a question from Mike Nguyen asking about an unverified “2023 $111 million back to Dallas from DART,” and a proposal from Scott Conner urging larger direct allocations to cities. Those public comments reflect outstanding questions about past payments and how the rebate would be allocated city by city.

Significant gaps remain: the exact allocation of the remaining $105 million, the specific mechanics of the proposed new revenue stream for DART, the detailed governance structure of the independent rail authority, and which legislators will carry bills to enact statutory changes. RTC leaders indicated the next steps hinge on whether Plano and Irving withdraw their election requests and on subsequent legislative work to implement the structural changes approved in principle by the council.