4 March 5 - 11, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents the major conferences who tend to look out only for their own interests, instead of what is best for the respective sports. “This is just another example of the NCAA being neutered and having no actual governing body oversee the business side of this new NIL world,” he said. ▼ TRANSPORTATION HALF OF A REPREIVE THREE SUBURBS CALL OFF ELECTIONS TO LEAVE DART, THREE OTHERS WILL HOLD MAY 2 VOTES. BY AUSTIN WOOD C ity councils in Plano, Irving and Farmers Branch voted last to call off a planned May elections that could’ve resulted in the cities dropping their partnership with the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system. Following months of debate and negotia- tions with DART leadership, the Plano council unanimously voted on Feb. 26 to re- peal an ordinance calling for a May 2 elec- tion. Plano is the largest of the six member cities that have called exit elections since November. Farmers Branch and Irving fol- lowed suit days later, while Addison and the Park Cities intend to go ahead with May 2 exit votes. DART officials and the Regional Trans- portation Council recently approved an agreement that reforms the agency’s funding structures and governance, an agreement Plano Mayor John Muns said would lead him to support cancelling the planned election in a previous interview with the Observer. “I think it’d be great to not have to talk about DART like I have for the last six years,” Muns said in the interview. “In my term, I’ve spent most of my time discussing DART is- sues since I became mayor, so I look forward to not having to do that for several years.” Under the interlocal agreement, member cities will initially receive 5% of sales tax contributions back for transit-oriented gen- eral mobility programs, increasing to 10% by 2031. The Regional Transportation Council will provide up to $75 million in funding to help offset the agency’s costs. DART’s board of directors formally approved the interlocal agreement at a meeting on Friday. Council members voted approve the agreement with DART and to pass a resolu- tion supporting proposed changes to the agency’s board of directors. Plano’s decision comes only weeks before a March 18 dead- line to rescind elections. Funding Compromises A t the meeting, Plano council mem- ber Rick Horne thanked city staff and DART Board Chair Randall Bryant for their work on the compromise. “A lot of you thought that we were really against mass transit. What we’re trying to do is improve the mass transit within the city of Plano,” Horne said. “And for a long time, the DART board did not listen to us, with Mr. Bryant taking the lead the day before we set to have the vote, he had a herculean task to try to keep us inside the DART community, and I applaud you for that.” Residents largely supported the measure and called for continued transit investment. “I just want to say I really support DART,” one resident said. “I think that it is a vital benefit, a vital lifeline for the city of Plano. I personally can drive downtown if I want to, but there are many who cannot, and we need to remember those who have less than we do. And I appreciate all the time you’ve taken to consider this. Thank you.” The city has had one of the loudest voices in the debate over the agency’s future. Plano leaders have said they have not received a proportionate return on their sales tax con- tributions and have concerns about repre- sentation on DART’s 15-member Board of Directors. An Ernst and Young Study pub- lished in 2024 reported that Plano contrib- uted $109.6 million in sales tax dollars to the agency in 2023. That same year, Plano re- ceived $44.6 million in services from the agency, according to the study. City leaders have been vocal in their aim to claw back a quarter of Plano’s one-cent- on-the-dollar sales tax contribution. In June 2024, the council passed a resolution calling for a permanent 25% decrease in the agen- cy’s sales tax contributions. That resolution was followed in 2025 by ultimately unsuc- cessful state-level legislative efforts to enact the change, with one bill supported by Plano being dubbed the ‘DART Killer Bill.’ In addition to immediate returns, DART has committed to a collective lobbying plan to find alternative funding sources to per- manently reduce sales tax contributions from member cities by 25% after 2031, a change that would require approval from the state legislature. Following the vote to call off the election, council members voted unanimously to repeal the 2024 ordinance. Plano has also pledged to cease legislative efforts to reduce agency funding. At the meeting, council member Bob Kehr said the agreement didn’t meet all of Plano’s initial goals, but that it represented progress toward a long-term solution. “Let’s be honest, this is a compromise. This isn’t at all what we asked for or were looking for. But I believe this is a step for- ward, and I think that we’re going to con- tinue to get there by working together in this collaboration. So I’m excited about the fu- ture,” said Kehr. The Path Forward C ouncil members also expressed sup- port for expanding the DART board, another change that would require approval from Austin lawmakers. The Dallas City Council recently passed a resolution supporting giving up the city’s majority on the board in favour of retaining at 45% weighted vote. If the plan is approved by state lawmak- ers in its current form, Plano will appoint two members to the board, whose votes would count for 8% of the total weighted share in a 13-member system. Each mem- ber city will also have at least one dedicated representative on the board, which had been a sticking point for smaller cities like Addison, which currently shares a repre- sentative with Richardson, Highland Park and University Park. With the general mobility program, cit- ies will begin to assume greater Unfair Park from p3 an entire year before being able to play for a new school after transferring. But such ama- teur status rules are a thing of the past, thanks to the current era of the transfer por- tal, where athletes can switch schools every year and still play without interruption, and big-time NIL money. The NIL era is only five seasons old, with the 2021 campaign being the first time college athletes were allowed by the NCAA to earn money after the Supreme Court’s landmark Alston v. NCAA ruling, followed by many states passing legislation allowing for student athletes to make money off of their own name, image and likeness. It’s a new frontier, and ac- cording to 1310 The Ticket’s Sean Bass, the University of Cincinnati has a right to handle its business, but that may come at a competi- tive cost in these unpredictable times. “I think Sorsby should absolutely pay his exit fee [if that is] part of his agreement,” the co-host of the Ticket’s The Sweet Spot said. “I think Cincy going after their money could scare off some potential transfers, but they appear in the right. I could see Texas Tech paying his exit fee.” According to ESPN, similar lawsuits have been filed recently, including one from the University of Georgia against edge rusher Damon Wilson and another from Duke Uni- versity, who recently sued quarterback Dar- ian Mensah before reaching an out-of-court settlement in January. Texas Tech has been arguably the most aggressive school in the nation when it comes to pursuing athletes in the transfer portal with big-money offers. The Red Raiders had their best-ever season in 2025, reaching the second round of the college football playoffs. For another 1310 host, Matt McClearin of The Invasion, this lawsuit is just another sign that a new era has arrived. “No one can seem to agree on what param- eters should be in place,” he said. “And until [everyone] realizes that the student-athlete days are over and that the players are now em- ployees, things won’t change. Players need to be able to unionize and have a collective bar- gaining agreement so there are defined and agreed upon parameters to operate within.” Bass places the blame for all of the cur- rent uncertainty at the feet of the NCAA and Ron Jenkins/Getty Images Brendan Sorsby #2 of the Cincinnati Bearcats scrambles during the first half against the TCU Horned Frogs Amon G. Carter Stadium in 2025. Adobe Stock DART could experience more major changes in 2026. >> p6
