* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. SAY THAT AGAIN AND [00:00:01] AGAIN TO TELL PEOPLE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING YOU [The Future of Plano Transit News Conference on November 5, 2025.] WANT THE ENTIRE CITY OF PLANO TO VOTE. YEAH. I, I THINK THE MAIN THING THAT WE, WE WANTED EVERYONE TO UNDERSTAND WAS WE WERE JUST PLACING IT ON THE BALLOT WHERE WE WERE VOTING TO PLACE THIS ON THE BALLOT MAY 2ND, 2026 , BECAUSE WE REALLY FELT LIKE IT WAS, IT WAS TIME TO LET OUR COMMUNITY HELP US MAKE THIS DECISION ON HOW WE MOVE FORWARD WITH PUBLIC TRANSIT. WE'VE, WE'VE WORKED, UH, FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS WITH DART TRYING TO COME UP WITH SOME SOLUTIONS AND, AND REALLY KIND OF COME UP WITH A BETTER MODEL OF WHAT IT CAN BE TO PLANO AND, AND ACTUALLY ALL, ALL THE MEMBER CITIES. AND WE'VE, WE'VE REALLY STRUGGLED TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT. WE'VE GONE TO THE LEGISLATURE THREE TIMES, AND QUITE FRANKLY, IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHETHER THE SILVER LINES, YOU KNOW, OPENED JUST A, A WEEK OR TWO AGO. BUT IT REALLY HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITHIN THE AGREEMENT. EVERY SIX YEARS OUR MEMBER CITIES HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT IT TO THE VOTERS TO WITHDRAW OR TO STAY IN. AND SO THIS IS THE SIXTH YEAR COMING UP IN 2026. AND SO THIS IS A, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO WEIGH IN ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY WANT TO CONTINUE DOWN THIS SAME PATH AND ASK ONE FOLLOW UP. EVEN IF THE PUBLIC SAYS YES, WE WOULD LIKE TO LEAP DART. MM-HMM . THAT 1 CENT CONTINUES FOR HOW LONG? YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A HUNDRED, 1,020 MILLI THE CITY OF PLANO IS GONNA CONTRIBUTE. YEAH. ALONG. WOULD THAT CONTINUE ANYWAY? WELL, THAT, THAT COULD CONTINUE SEVEN TO 10 YEARS. THE PROBLEM IS WE WON'T BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS DECISION FOR ANOTHER SIX YEARS. AND IF THAT ENDS UP BEING SEVEN TO 10 YEARS, WE'RE LOOKING AT 14, 15, 16 YEARS THAT WE'RE PUTTING THIS ON FUTURE COUNCILS AND FUTURE RESIDENTS. WHAT, UM, OUR TELL, I MEAN, OUR DAR IS DAR BEING USED TO ITS HIGHEST CAPABILITIES OF THING OF THE BUS. PEOPLE TALK ABOUT EMPTY BUSES. ITIES. YEAH. YEAH. WE'RE, WE'RE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE ROUTES THAT DART HAS IN PLANO AND THE LACK OF RIDERSHIP THAT WE HAVE, NOT ONLY IN OUR BUSES, BUT IN OUR TRAINS AS WELL. AND SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR SOME SOLUTIONS IN THAT AREA. AS I WAS SAYING EARLIER, WE HAVE SENIORS AND, AND FOLKS WITH DISABILITIES THAT HAVE THAT FIRST MILE, LAST MILE ISSUE, AND WE REALLY NEED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES TO BE ABLE TO CREATE A DOOR-TO-DOOR SERVICE THROUGH DIFFERENT TYPES OF VEHICLES THAT WORK FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND THOSE THAT NEED TO GET TO THEIR DOCTOR OR TO THE GROCERY STORE OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE. AND SO WE ARE LOOKING FOR THOSE CHANGES TO BE ABLE TO HELP OUR RESIDENTS UTILIZE A PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM EVEN THAT MUCH MORE. SO THERE'S A 45 DAY DEADLINE THAT THIS CAN STILL ALL GET WORKED OUT? WELL, NO, THERE'S EVEN LONGER THAN THAT. IT'S BETWEEN NOW AND LET'S SAY FEBRUARY 15TH, WHERE THAT BECOMES THE 45 DAY DEADLINE TILL MAY 2ND. SO WE HAVE MAYBE, MAYBE 75 DAYS TO BE ABLE TO WORK SOMETHING OUT, UM, WITH DART. AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN BOTH AGREE UPON, WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO PULL IT DOWN ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL THAT, THAT DATE WHERE ANYTIME 45 DAYS TO THE, UM, ELECTION DATE, YOU CAN NO LONGER PULL IT BACK. WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO WITH THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE? MANY PEOPLE MENTIONED AS YOU JUST DID TO FRONTLINE AS BRAND NEW, IT JUST OPENED. SO LET'S SAY THE VOTERS SAY, YEAH, WE WANNA DISSOLVE FROM DART. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE? WELL, WE, WE WOULD LOVE TO KEEP THE RAIL AND, AND WE ARE, WE ARE TALKING TO DART ABOUT NEGOTIATING IN THAT, THAT REALM OF BEING ABLE TO KEEP THE RAIL AND, AND REALLY LETTING US DEAL WITH THE MICRO TRANSIT IN THE CITY AND ELIMINATING THE BUS SERVICES. BUT UM, YOU KNOW, THAT STILL HASN'T BEEN AGREED UPON. WE, WE KIND OF JUST, UH, OFFERED THAT JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO. AND SO WE WOULD LOVE TO KEEP THE RAIL AND, AND CONTINUE TO ALLOW OUR COMMUNITY TO BE ABLE TO USE IT. UH, BUT IF, IF AND WHEN, UH, WE CAN'T COME UP TO, UH, WITH AN AGREEMENT, THEN WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT, UH, THE, THE SERVICE THAT WE PROVIDE WILL GET THEM TO, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO GET ON THAT RAIL, WHETHER IT BE RICHARDSON OR ADDISON OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE. AND NOW THE ALTERNATIVE [00:05:01] TRANSIT OPTIONS, SOMETHING WAS MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, MICRO TRANSIT AND PEOPLE DID TALK ABOUT THE VIA APP THAT ARLENE TEND USES MM-HMM . YEAH. SO I'M NOT SURE IF RIGHT NOW YOU CAN KIND OF GO A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DEPTH FOR PEOPLE AS TO THEY SAY, YOU KNOW, THE CSF SAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE LOCKED AND LOADED. THAT WAS HIS PHRASE OF WE'RE READY TO IMPLEMENT THIS Q1 NEXT YEAR BEFORE THIS VOTE. WHAT EXACTLY WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE? WOULD IT BE KIND OF LIKE AN UBER BASED APP? YEAH, BUT THEY, BUT UBER BASED WOULD BE ONE OPTION VIA WOULD BE ANOTHER OPTION. WE'RE GONNA HAVE MEETINGS WITH THEM, UH, ACTUALLY IN JUST A FEW DAYS. OH, WOW. AND, AND SO THEY HAVE DIFFERENT VEHICLE TYPES THAT KIND OF RE UH, SOLVE SOME OF THE ISSUES, WHETHER IT BE DISABILITY ISSUES AND, AND PARATRANSIT OR WHETHER IT BE, UM, SENIORS THAT, THAT NEED THAT DOOR TO DOOR SERVICE FROM THEIR HOUSE TO THE HOSPITAL OR WHATEVER IT MAY BE. SO WE ARE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AND OPTIONS ARE CAREFULLY CONSIDERED SO THAT WE CAN REALLY PROVIDE A BETTER OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR RESIDENTS TO BE ABLE TO GET WHERE THEY WANT TO GET. AND MY LAST QUESTION, UH, THE, THE WOMAN IN THE WHEELCHAIR, GU IS FROM CARROLLTON V HE GETS MEDICAL ATTENTION HERE IN PLANO. YOU TALK ABOUT DOOR TO DOOR SERVICE, BUT WOULD THAT WORK FOR HER BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T GO HERE IN PLANO? WELL, WE, WE'VE GOT SOME VARIABLES TO WORK THROUGH. ONE OF THEM BEING, WE HAVE FIVE, UH, HOSPITALS OR HAIR HEALTHCARE INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE RIGHT HERE IN PLANO AND TEXAS HEALTH IS DOWN IN DALLAS. CHILDREN'S IS DOWN IN DALLAS, UH, BAYLOR, SCOTT AND WHITE, ON AND ON AND ON. AND SO WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS THAT MAYBE MAYBE SOME OF THEIR PATIENTS HAVE TO GO DOWNTOWN, WHATEVER IT MAY BE. SO IT'S, IT'S GOING TO BE MORE THAN JUST, YOU KNOW, DOOR TO DOOR SERVICE TO GET FROM HERE TO THE GROCERY STORE. IT'S GOING TO BE ISSUES THAT, THAT AFFECT PEOPLE GETTING TO THE HEALTH, HEALTHCARE, UH, FACILITIES THAT MAY BE IN DALLAS OR MAY BE IN LEWISVILLE OR CARROLLTON. AND SO THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE, UM, VARIABLES THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO WORK THROUGH. I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T ASK REAL QUICK ABOUT WORLD CUP. YEAH. SO WE, WE OBVIOUSLY IN PLANO DO NOT HAVE A, A WORLD CUP HOTEL, BUT WE ALSO HAVE A, MOST OF OUR HOTELS THAT ARE BLOCKING ROOMS FOR FANS THAT ARE GOING TO THE WORLD CUP, WE, WE DO NOT WANT TO DISRUPT, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR, UH, PEOPLE GETTING FROM PLANO TO ARLINGTON. AND WE WILL DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS IN DISRUPTED. WHAT THAT'S OH, I WAS JUST GONNA ASK, THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE IN PLANO THAT THINK THAT THIS IS KIND OF A SCARE TACTIC FOR DARTS SO THAT THEY'LL COME AND GET A MORE FAVORABLE SOLUTION TO THE CITY. OFO, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO THAT? I'D SAY WE, WE WOULD LOVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, BUT WE ARE GOING TO START TOMORROW WORKING AT MAKING SURE WHATEVER HAPPENS ON MAY 2ND, WE'RE READY TO GO AND BE ABLE TO PROVIDE A PUBLIC TRANSIT SYSTEM IN PLANO THAT REALLY FITS THE NEEDS OF ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS. WHAT CONCESSIONS WOULD DART HAVE TO GIVE YOU FOR YOU CONSIDER A RESCIND ED ELECTION? WELL, I, I THINK THERE'S, THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF ITEMS THAT I THINK WE NEED TO WORK THROUGH. I CAN'T BE SPECIFIC ABOUT THEM, BUT WE'RE MORE THAN WILLING TO SIT DOWN AND TALK ABOUT THEM. YOU CAN'T BE MORE SPECIFIC. IT IS IT THE FUNDING IS THE MAIN ISSUE. SAFETY, I THINK, I THINK RIDERSHIP, THEY HAVE TO SHOW THAT THEY CAN PROVIDE A BETTER ROUTE SYSTEM. WE DON'T NEED THE 40 FOOT BUSES TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UH, TRANSIT FOR OUR, OUR RESIDENTS. WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO COME UP WITH SOME NEW VARIABLES THAT REALLY HELP INCREASE RIDERSHIP AND GET PEOPLE WHERE THEY WANT TO GO. AND RIGHT NOW, THAT'S, THAT'S A HUGE PROBLEM. AND OBVIOUSLY WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT FINANCIAL ISSUES AND I THINK ONE OF, ONE OF THE BIGGEST ONES IS, UH, THE, THE PENNY IS, IS VERY HIGH FOR ALL OF THE MEMBER CITIES. AND I THINK WE'RE ALL LOOKING FOR SOLUTIONS TO BE ABLE TO LOWER THAT PENNY AND EXPAND, UH, THE MEMBERSHIP. IT MIGHT BE THERE'S TWO, THOSE, THOSE WILL BE THE TWO. SO THOSE WILL BE THE TWO. SO, UH, UBER ALSO HAS A KIND OF A, A, A PUBLIC TRANSIT, UH, DEPARTMENT. MM-HMM . AND VIA OBVIOUSLY DOES, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE IN ARLINGTON AND THINGS LIKE THAT, SO OH, GREAT ONE, I THINK ONE OF 'EM USES, UM, THEIR VEHICLES. MM-HMM . ANOTHER ONE USES KIND OF, UM, [00:10:01] THE IDEA OF LIKE THE DRIVER'S VEHICLES. OKAY. SO, WE'LL, WE'LL STUDY BOTH OF 'EM AND MM-HMM . AND, AND COME UP WITH WHAT WORKS BEST FOR US AND MAKE SURE THAT ALL THOSE, ALL THOSE ISSUES THAT WE TALK ABOUT, WHETHER IT BE EFFICIENCY AND SAFETY AND ALL THOSE KIND OF THINGS, WE, WE COVER ALL OF THOSE TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR, OUR RESIDENTS ARE, ARE GETTING THE HIGHEST QUALITY SERVICE THEY CAN GET. OKAY. WONDERFUL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOUR TIME TODAY. YOU BET. REAL BRIAN DOES, DOES, UH, EARLIER THIS WEEK. YEAH. UH, WHY WAS THAT? FIRST OF ALL, WE, WE'VE BEEN TALKING FOR A LONG TIME AND WE, WE COULDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT HE COULD DO IN THOSE 30 DAYS. HE STILL HAS THOSE 30 DAYS. HE ACTUALLY HAS ABOUT 75 DAYS, MAYBE EVEN MORE. AND WE, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE HE UNDERSTOOD THAT WE WEREN'T GOING TO DELAY, DELAY, DELAY. 'CAUSE THIS IS WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING LOT. I MEAN, THAT LETTER THAT I SIGNED ON DECEMBER 10TH OF LAST YEAR DID NOT GET RESPONDED TO FOR MONTHS. MM-HMM . AND THIS IS THE FRUSTRATING PART OF, OF WORKING WITH DART IS THEY SAY, WE'LL WORK ON IT, WE'LL DO A STUDY, AND THEN NEXT THING YOU KNOW, IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN SIX, EIGHT WASH A YEAR AND THIS IS, THIS IS HOW THINGS GO. AND THAT'S WHAT'S WHAT'S BEEN REAL FRUSTRATING FOR, FOR US AND OTHER MEMBER CITIES AS WELL. IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT JUST US. THAT SAID, HOW WILL PLANO RECONCILE THE POTENTIAL BLOW TO REGIONAL TRANSIT? YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED SOLUTIONS INTERNALLY AND FOR PLANO RESIDENTS TO GET TO, YOU KNOW, HEALTHCARE OPTIONS, BUT THIS HAS POTENTIAL TO HURT TRANSIT YEAH. REGIONALLY. UM, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE THERE? WELL, I, I, I THINK THE 13 MEMBER CITIES HAVE REMAINED THE ONLY REALLY REGION OF THE DALLAS AREA FOR THE LAST 42 YEARS. AND THERE'S BEEN NO EFFORT TO REALLY EXPAND THAT SERVICE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF DALLAS REALLY IN ALL DIRECTIONS. AND UNTIL THEY'RE ABLE TO KIND OF ENTICE OTHER CITIES TO JOIN THAT REGIONALISM, IT, IT REALLY IS, IS SOMEWHAT FRAGMENTED BECAUSE THERE'S THE DCTA, THERE'S THE TRE, AND THEN THERE'S DARK AND THERE'S NO CONNECTIVITY. BUT WE, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO CREATE MORE CONNECTIVITY WITH OUR NEIGHBORS TO THE NORTH AND NEIGHBORS TO THE EAST. BUT RIGHT NOW, UM, IT'S, IT'S REALLY UP TO DARK TO BE ABLE TO SOLICIT THAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM. AND WE, WE'VE GOTTA AT SOME POINT LOOK AT WHAT'S BEST FOR, NOT, NOT JUST PLANO, BUT, BUT TO BE ABLE TO, UH, CONNECT OUR RESIDENTS IN A BETTER WAY THAN YOU KNOW, WHAT THEY EXPERIENCED OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS. THANK YOU, MADAM. YEAH, SURE. CAN YOU PROVIDE SOME CLARIFICATION WHILE RESIDENTS HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT PLANOS ROLE IN PAYING BACK DEBT TO DART AND KIND OF EXACTLY HOW LONG THAT WOULD TAKE, HOW MUCH THAT WOULD BE? SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S EVERY SIX YEARS YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, TO, UM, HAVE AN ELECTION FOR THE RESIDENTS TO MAKE THAT DECISION, WHICH IS WHAT WE DID TONIGHT, AND THEN SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SEVEN AND 10 YEARS. AND, AND THE REASON WHY I, I DON'T HAVE THAT SPECIFIC TIMELINE. I MEAN, WE'VE, WE'VE KIND OF ALWAYS FIGURED IT AS EIGHT YEARS. UM, THAT'S, THAT'S THE, THE DEBT THAT, UH, PLANO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER, OVER THE LIFE OF DART. YEAH. SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT. I THINK WHAT, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO BE SENSITIVE ABOUT IS, LET'S SAY WE DO NOTHING, SO WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE FOR ANOTHER SIX YEARS, AND THEN YOU ADD EIGHT MORE YEARS. SO YOU'RE REALLY LOOKING AT 14 MORE YEARS. AND WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT WAS THE ESCALATION OF, OF THE SALES TAX THAT IS GROWING, UH, EACH AND EVERY YEAR. UM, AND THAT BECOMES 150 MILLION, 200 MILLION, WHATEVER THAT NUMBER MIGHT BE, AND YOUR, YOUR PAYBACK PERIOD EVEN JUST GETS LONGER AND LONGER. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE REALLY SENSITIVE ABOUT IS PUTTING THIS FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ON FUTURE COUNCILS AND OUR FU AND RESIDENTS IN THE FUTURE. AND SO IT'S, IT'S A MATTER OF DO YOU MAKE THOSE DECISIONS NOW OR DO YOU JUST PUT [00:15:01] 'EM OFF? AND, AND THE PROBLEM IS EVEN THAT MUCH LARGER IN 14 OR 15 YEARS. AND SO, UM, AGAIN, WE, WE UNDERSTAND AND IF THE, THE VOTERS DECIDE THAT WE WANNA STAY IN DART, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO TRY TO, UH, WE WILL, WE WILL, WE'LL DO THAT, AND WE WILL BE A GOOD PARTNER. WE'LL, WE, WE HOPE THAT WE CAN MAKE SOME, UM, ADJUSTMENTS ON, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ROUTES AND THOSE KIND OF THINGS TO BE MORE EFFICIENT AND HAVE BETTER RIDERSHIP. BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO DO THIS AND BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE AT THE SAME TIME. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.