Highland Park Poised to Exit DART as Voters Reject Regional Transit

Highland Park voters delivered a resounding rebuke to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system on Saturday, with unofficial results showing 69.5% voting 'no' to continued membership as of late evening. The affluent Dallas enclave, hemmed in by larger cities, becomes the first to withdraw from DART since Flower Mound and Coppell exited in 1989, ending all bus, rail, paratransit and GoLink services within its borders after canvassing on May 13. Cities can hold such elections every six years under state law, driven by local frustrations over DART's funding model that dedicates half of Highland Park's 1% sales tax to the agency.

Addison and University Park bucked the trend, with 69.6% in Addison and 53.3% in University Park favoring staying in DART. Addison, which pays about $17.6 million annually through sales tax, recently gained its first DART rail station on the Silver Line that opened in October, a factor likely swaying voters despite proponents' claims of cheaper microtransit alternatives like Via at a tenth of the cost. University Park's narrower margin reflects similar debates over service value amid DART's recent concessions, including a new funding plan that prompted Plano, Farmers Branch and Irving to cancel their own withdrawal votes.

DART services will halt immediately in withdrawing cities post-certification around May 12-13, though the 1% sales tax persists until debts are cleared. Highland Park officials cited unsustainable finances, lack of representation and misalignment between costs and service, vowing continued regional collaboration while pushing for reforms. The results, still unofficial, underscore North Texas divides on public transit equity as DART, serving 13 member cities, faces potential revenue hits.