[00:00:01] GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. THE TIME IS 12:22 P.M. [ Special Called Transportation and Infrastructure on May 20, 2024..] AND I'M CALLING TO ORDER THE TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE SPECIAL CALLED COMMITTEE MEETING AT ON MAY 20TH, 2024. COLLEAGUES JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW, THIS IS THE BOARD INTERVIEWS. BOTH NOMINEES HAVE ARE BEING REAPPOINTED. WE HAVE TWO OPENINGS AND WE HAVE THE INCUMBENTS BEING BOTH NOMINATED AND RENOMINATED. AND SO WE GOT TO GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS IN ORDER TO GET DONE. AND AND THE LAST TIME WE HAD THIS, WE HAD BOARD COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO WANTED TO STILL INTERVIEW EVEN THOUGH IT WAS JUST A REAPPOINTMENT. SO I DIDN'T DO A POLL OR ASK ANYBODY. I JUST WAS LIKE, I'M JUST GOING TO GO AHEAD AND SCHEDULE IT. SO THAT'S WHY YOU SAW IT. AND THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. SO WITH THAT, WE HAVE OUR BOTH OF OUR APPOINTEES SITTING HERE AND RODNEY SCHLOSSER AND CARMEN GARCIA AND IF Y'ALL ARE OKAY WITH JUST BEING TOGETHER AND WE'LL JUST ASK QUESTIONS AND WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS QUICKLY, AND THEN Y'ALL CAN COME BACK AND HAVE SOME LUNCH IF YOU'RE HUNGRY. SO WITH THAT, ARE WE GOOD TO GO? I'LL START WITH YOU, MR. VICE CHAIR, AND THEN GO TO MR. ATKINS AND THEN YOU AT THE END OVER THERE, MISS SCHULTZ AND THEN MISS WILLIS, SINCE YOU'RE VIRTUAL, WE'LL HIT YOU AT THAT POINT. ALL RIGHT, GO AHEAD, MR. VICE CHAIR. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. BOTH, CARMEN AND RODNEY, FOR BEING HERE TODAY. AND THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR SERVICES THAT YOU'VE SERVED THUS FAR ON THE DART BOARD. AND I JUST HAVE JUST A VERY BASIC QUESTION. REAL SIMPLE QUESTION, REALLY, FOR THE BOTH OF YOU, AND JUST TAKE A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO ANSWER IT. AND IT'S REALLY WHERE DO YOU SEE THE DIRECTION OF DART BOARD AND PARTICULARLY THE CITY OF DALLAS POSITION MOVING FORWARD? WHERE DO YOU SEE US GOING? I KNOW IT'S A BROAD QUESTION. FIRST, THANKS FOR HAVING US. AND THANKS FOR THE QUESTION. I THINK THERE'S PROBABLY TWO COMPONENTS, HOW I WOULD ANSWER THAT. ONE, WE TOUCHED ON A LITTLE BIT IN THIS COMMITTEE MEETING SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, WHICH IS POPULATION TRENDS. AND THE ACTIVITIES IN AUSTIN COULD IMPACT THE GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE. MEANING, DOES DART CONTINUE TO RECOGNIZE THE CITY OF DALLAS WITH EIGHT OF THE 15 SEATS? SO THAT'S KIND OF THE HIGH LEVEL. MORE PRACTICALLY AS YOU MAY KNOW, AS A RESULT OF SOME PRESSURE FROM THE LEGISLATURE AND FROM SOME OF THE SUBURBAN MEMBERS THE BOARD COMMISSIONED AN OUTSIDE FIRM, EY, ERNST AND YOUNG, A CONSULTING FIRM, TO PROCEED WITH AN ANALYSIS WHICH WILL BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE CONVENES IN JANUARY, WHICH IS DESIGNED TO SATISFY SOME OF THE SUBURBS WHO WANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT PORTION OF OUR SERVICES ARE IN THEIR CITIES RELATIVE TO THE REVENUES THAT THEY ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE CITY OF, EXCUSE ME, TO DART, FORGIVE ME. AND AS YOU CAN IMAGINE MANY OF US ANTICIPATE THAT WHAT THAT REPORT WILL SHOW AND IT'S AN INDEPENDENT REPORT. DART STAFF, THE MEMBER CITIES ARE NOT INVOLVED. EY IS DOING THIS AS AN INDEPENDENT THIRD PARTY ANALYSIS. MIGHT SHOW THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS HAS MORE SERVICE THAN THE CITY OF DALLAS TAXPAYERS CONTRIBUTE TO THE BUDGET. AND IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEN WE'RE IMAGINING THAT WE'LL GET A REQUEST FROM MANY OF THE SUBURBAN MEMBERS TO THINK ABOUT HOW THAT PLAYS OUT, BECAUSE THERE ARE SUBURBAN MEMBERS WHO MIGHT FEEL AS THOUGH EITHER THEY SHOULD HAVE MORE SERVICE, OR THAT JUST AS A MATTER OF FAIRNESS, THE CITY OF DALLAS SHOULD HAVE LESS SERVICE. SO I THINK THAT THAT REPORT, WHICH WE ANTICIPATE TO BE AT THE END OF THE YEAR, MEANING IT'S GOING TO BE CLOSE TO THE LEGISLATURE, COULD IMPACT BOTH SOME OF THE DYNAMICS AT THE BOARD AS WELL AS LEGISLATION THAT MIGHT BE FILED IN AUSTIN IN JANUARY. ABSOLUTELY. IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE TAKE A LOOK AT THIS SURVEY, BECAUSE IT MAY OPEN OUR EYES TO AS WELL IN TERMS OF IDENTIFYING WHERE WE STAND WITH THE WHOLE AGENCY IN ITSELF. AND IT'S REALLY CRITICAL AT THIS POINT IN TIME. AND THAT'S WHY HIRING THIS CONSULTANT TO COME IN AND DO THAT PARTICULAR JOB OUTSIDE OF THE REALM OF THE AGENCY IS CRITICAL, IS VERY IMPORTANT. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO BE LISTENING AND HEARING TO SEE WHAT RESULTS THEY HAVE THEY BRING BACK TO US AND HOPEFULLY SOONER THE BETTER, BECAUSE THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS NEXT YEAR. AND THAT'S GOING TO BE VERY QUICKLY HERE BEFORE WE KNOW IT. SO I KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO DO A GREAT JOB IN IDENTIFYING AND WORKING WITH THOSE CITIES TO COME UP WITH THE INFORMATION THAT'S THAT WE NEED. EXCELLENT. VERY GOOD. MR. ATKINS, DO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR FOR YOUR QUESTION? AND WE'LL JUST KEEP DOING THE ROUND ROBIN LIKE WE'VE BEEN DOING. JUST SOME QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, BASED ON FINANCE STRUCTURE OVER BUDGET [00:05:08] ISSUES. CAN YOU TELL ME THAT QUESTION, LIKE THE D2 ALIGNMENT, THAT IT HAD CAPACITY TO DO X AMOUNT OF DOLLARS AND THAT CAPACITY WENT SOMEWHERE ELSE VERSUS THE THE SILVER LINE IS HOW MUCH IS OVER BUDGET. AND, AND DURING THE PANDEMIC AND WE HAD A WHOLE LOT OF SERVICE WE'LL CUT IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF DALLAS, AND THOSE SERVICE HAD NOT BEEN RESTORED IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE DALLAS, AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FINANCE, AND FIRST THING I WAS SAYING IS THE ASPECT OF THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE DALLAS I KNOW THAT THE FIRST LIGHT RAIL WAS IN SOUTHERN PART OF DALLAS WENT DOWN LANCASTER, WHICH WAS YOU KNOW, WHAT DID THE NORTH DALLAS I MEAN, YOU SPLIT THE CITY UP YOU GOT WALLS. WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD STUFF THAT WE DO NOT GET THE AMENITIES THAT WE NEED IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF DALLAS WITH OUR MONEY WE'RE PUTTING IN THERE. CAN YOU JUST TELL US BASICALLY, I KNOW IT'S A BROAD QUESTION, BUT IN GENERAL THAT WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT FINANCIAL OF DART, THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE SOUTHERN DALLAS IS ONE THAT WE GET HURT THE MOST. I'M GONNA HAVE TO LOOK THAT ONE UP BECAUSE I'M NOT REALLY SURE HOW TO ADDRESS THAT ONE YET. COUNCIL MEMBER. FIRST, I HEAR YOU ON THE IMPACT ON SERVICE DURING THE PANDEMIC. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE'VE RESTORED MOST OF THE SERVICE, AS YOU KNOW, IN THE INTERIM, NOT IN THE INTERIM. CONCURRENT TO THAT, THERE WAS A REDESIGN OF THE BUS NETWORK. AND YOU AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS AND I HOPE WE'VE GOTTEN IT RIGHT NOW. CERTAINLY WE'VE RESTORED IN TERMS OF HEADWAY TIMES. RIGHT. SO THE FREQUENCY IS BACK TO WHERE IT WAS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC. WE HAVE MORE GO LINKS SO THAT IN AREAS WHERE WE HAD LIGHT USAGE, WE CAN GIVE PEOPLE POINT TO POINT SERVICE, WHICH SHOULD GIVE THEM A BETTER EXPERIENCE. RIGHT. BECAUSE IT'S BASICALLY AN UBER DRIVER TAKING THEM FROM POINT A TO POINT B, SO I THINK WE'RE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN THAT REGARD. AS WE'RE WE FOCUS ON SILVER LINE VERSUS D2. YOU'RE CORRECT THAT THE SILVER LINE IS OVER BUDGET AND IT'S BEHIND. THERE ARE A LOT OF REASONS FOR THAT. AND CONCURRENTLY, THIS COUNCIL IS FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF YOUR PREDECESSORS. THE ARRANGEMENT THAT GOES BACK MANY YEARS WAS THAT THE SILVER LINE WOULD BE BUILT AND D2 WOULD BE BUILT. AND AS YOU KNOW, THE SILVER LINE IS WELL UNDER WAY AND D2 IS ON PAUSE. AND I THINK AND I ASKED THE CHAIR AND YOU AS THE VICE CHAIR, TO CONVENE WITH US SOMETIME SOON A DISCUSSION OF WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF D2, BECAUSE A LOT OF DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS HAVE A LOT OF DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW ON THAT FROM A JUST PURE RIDERSHIP PERSPECTIVE. WE DON'T HAVE THE RIDERSHIP DEMAND THAT WOULD JUSTIFY NECESSARILY ON THE BASIS OF JUST PURE RIDERS. PUT ASIDE REDUNDANCY, RIGHT, WHICH IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT ISSUE. ONE OF THE RIDERS TO JUSTIFY IN THE EYES AND I'M SPEAKING FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HERE, WHICH I SHOULDN'T DO, BUT THAT WE WOULD GET FEDERAL MONEY TO SUPPORT D2 TODAY BASED ON RIDERSHIP, AND WE WOULD NEED FEDERAL MONEY, OTHERWISE IT BECOMES TOO EXPENSIVE FOR JUST OUR RESOURCES FROM SALES TAX AND FARE COLLECTION. AND ON THE FOLLOW UP ON THE D2 THE CAPACITY OF MONEY THAT YOU HAD, THE CAPACITY YOU DIDN'T HAVE THE MONEY, BUT THE CAPACITY FOR D2. HOW DO YOU HOW DO YOU REAPPROPRIATE THAT MONEY WENT SOMEWHERE, YOU KNOW, THE CAPACITY WENT SOMEWHERE. BUT WHERE DID IT GO? IT'S A GREAT QUESTION. SO THIS IS A LONGER ANSWER THAT I'M, THEN WE PROBABLY HAVE TIME FOR TODAY. BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE ALL THE MONEY NUMBER ONE. BUT WE HAD A CAPACITY, YOU KNOW. RIGHT. CAPACITY. YOU MEAN BONDING CAPACITY. BONDING CAPACITY, RIGHT, RIGHT. YES. SO THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A WAY PERHAPS, AND WE WOULD WANT TO PULL IN OUR FINANCIAL TEAM AS WELL TO COBBLE TOGETHER SOME EXISTING CAPACITY, SOME FUTURE CAPACITY AND SOME FEDERAL MONEY. MY PERSONAL OPINION IS THAT WE WOULD HAVE HAD A TOUGH TIME PULLING THAT TOGETHER BASED ON THE CURRENT COST OF CONSTRUCTION, THE OVERRUN WITH THE SILVER LINE, AND THE LACK OF BEING ABLE TO ATTRACT AND JUSTIFY FEDERAL MONEY IF WE WERE PUT TO THE TEST TODAY. DON'T GET ME WRONG, WE STILL HAVE FUNDS. I DON'T WANT TO, I'M JUST SAYING THAT IT TAKES ALL THREE, AND I'M NOT SURE WE HAVE THE RIGHT RECIPE FOR ALL THREE FOR A PROJECT THAT WOULD COST WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE D2 WOULD COST TODAY WITH CURRENT COST OF MATERIALS, COST OF LABOR, AND THAT PUT ASIDE WHAT'S GOING ON IN WASHINGTON IN TERMS OF THE COMPLEXITY. JUST COULD WE JUSTIFY IT RELATIVE TO OTHER PROJECTS FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT THEY'RE BEING PITCHED BY OTHER CITIES? YEAH. AND I THINK THAT REALLY THE CONVERSATION REALLY COMES DOWN TO CAN WE TAKE A LOOK AT THAT WHERE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TODAY, COUNCILMAN, AND MAKE THAT DETERMINATION AS TO WHAT TYPES OF OF INCENTIVES THAT WE DON'T ALREADY HAVE, THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO BUILD ON THAT, BECAUSE THERE IS, THERE ARE SOME PROGRAMS THAT WE USE NOW, WHICH RIGHT NOW GO LINK IS THEY'RE DOING REALLY GREAT IN THAT AREA, BUT PERHAPS WE COULD TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT ARE SOME OF THOSE RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE CAN [00:10:07] DO TO ENHANCE THE THAT PARTICULAR REGION OF OUR TRANSIT AGENCY IN ITSELF? VERY GOOD. THANK YOU. COUNCILMEMBER SCHULTZ. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. YEAH. CARMEN, I'D LIKE TO START WITH YOU. IN TERMS OF APTA, COULD YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE INVOLVED WITH THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION, IS THAT RIGHT? COULD YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT BRINGS TO DALLAS IN YOUR PARTICULAR ROLE, AND HOW YOU SEE A POTENTIAL FOR DALLAS, THAT STRENGTH, YES, I CAN. I HAVE A LITTLE HANDOUT THAT I'LL BE HAPPY TO LEAVE WITH YOU. I'M JUST A NEW APPOINTED BOARD MEMBER OF APTA, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE COME AWAY WITH IN TERMS OF FROM A NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE, IS THAT EVERY DOLLAR THAT WE SPEND IS FIVE IS A $5 ECONOMIC IMPACT TO THE TRANSIT INDUSTRY IN ITSELF. WE DON'T HAVE IT DEFINED IN TERMS OF NORTH TEXAS REGION THERE YET, BUT THEY HAVE A SOFTWARE PACKAGE THAT WE'RE TAKING A LOOK AT SO THAT WE CAN REALLY SEE THAT INVESTMENT THAT'S COMING TO THIS REGION AND THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO PROMOTE THAT INVESTMENT IN THE ECONOMIC IMPACT IT BRINGS TO THE CITIES. WELL, AND I THINK WHAT THAT PLAYS OUT ON IS THE INITIAL CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD WHEN WE FIRST STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF, I MEAN, IT'S I DON'T THINK IT'S A CLEAR I DON'T THINK IT'S A CLEAR CORRELATIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF RIDERS, WHETHER WHERE THEIR SOURCE OF ORIGIN IS. THAT REAL QUESTION IS WHAT'S HAPPENING ONCE THEY GET HERE. SO IF YOU SAY, OKAY, FINE, WE'RE GOING TO AND WE'RE GOING TO DO A 1 TO 1 AND THEN CUT OFF DALLAS YOU'RE ALSO GOING TO CUT OFF, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE YOU KNOW WHAT PERCENT OF THE WHOLE REGION BECAUSE WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GO IF YOU'RE COMING FROM ANOTHER FROM ONE OF THE OTHER OUTLYING CITIES, ONE OF OUR OTHER PARTNER CITIES IN ALL OF THIS, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF THEM ARE THEM TO EACH OTHER VERSUS COMING IN THROUGH DALLAS. SO THE WHOLE CONCEPT OF MEASURING BASED ON HOW MANY PEOPLE START IN DALLAS, I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE LOGIC MODEL FOR THAT. SO I'D LIKE TO GET Y'ALL'S OPINION ON THAT. YEAH. AND IT IS DIFFICULT BECAUSE YOU MAY START IN DALLAS AND END UP IN FORT WORTH AND TAKE A TRANSFER FROM OUR SYSTEM TO PERHAPS OR THE TRE GOING TO FORT WORTH, AND THEN MAYBE THEY WANT TO GO TO ANOTHER AREA AND THEN THEY TAKE THE DENTON COUNTY, OR THEY TAKE TRINITY METRO. SO YOU'RE HAVING TO TRY TO FOLLOW THAT PASSENGER. RIGHT. BUT I'M ACTUALLY EVEN TALKING ABOUT THE TOOL THAT MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, WEAPONIZED AGAINST DALLAS TO SAY THAT DALLAS RIDERSHIP ISN'T EVEN ORIGINATING, THE MAJORITY ISN'T EVEN ORIGINATING IN DALLAS. THE QUESTION IS, WHERE ARE PEOPLE ENDING UP TO ME, MORE THAN WHERE ARE THEY STARTING? PERSONALLY, I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. YEAH. SO COUNCIL MEMBER, THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION BECAUSE IT'S PART OF THE MANDATE FOR EY. EXACTLY. YES. IF THEY'RE GOING TO COME UP WITH AN ANALYSIS, IF THERE'S A FLAWED APPROACH, FORGIVE ME, IF THERE'S A FLAWED APPROACH TO THE METHODOLOGY. BAD INPUT, BAD OUTPUT. SO I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. AND WE'VE ASKED REPORT FROM EY AT SEVERAL STAGES ALONG THE WAY. THEY JUST GOT STARTED. SO WE HAVE NOT HAD THE INTERIM REPORT, BUT IT'S THE INTERIM UPDATE IS NUMBER ONE IN MY LIST TO FIND OUT HOW ARE THEY APPROACHING THAT. AND I KNOW THAT IN THE DISCUSSIONS WHEN WE WERE VETTING THE CONSTRUCT BEFORE THE CONTRACT WAS AWARDED I RAISED AS A MATTER OF REQUIREMENT THAT WE ASK WHETHER IT'S EY OR ANY OTHER FIRM TO LOOK AT WHAT'S BEST PRACTICE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT THE ONLY PLACE THAT HAS THIS KIND OF A REGIONAL SITUATION. YOU GO TO CHICAGO, AND WHILE CHICAGO IS AT THE HEART OF IT, YOU HAVE SOME OF THE SUBURBS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING AS WELL. SO I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER, BUT WE'RE EXPECTING THEM TO GIVE US EITHER BEST PRACTICES OR A FEW DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF THIS, BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, YOU COULD COME UP WITH VERY DIFFERENT OUTCOMES DEPENDING ON HOW YOU CALCULATE WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM AND WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO. EXACTLY. SO YOU'RE GOING AROUND AGAIN, BECAUSE I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION. YEAH, YEAH. WE'RE JUST DOING ROUND ROBIN. SO MR. GRACEY, I SKIPPED MINE EARLIER, SO I WANTED TO I KNOW THAT THERE'S ONE. NOPE. SHE'S NOT THERE ANYMORE. SORRY. SHE HAD REACHED OUT TO ME, SO I WAS PREPARED FOR HER QUESTION. YEAH. THANK YOU. BUT, YEAH, SHE'S NOT THERE ANYMORE. SO WHAT? I'M GOING TO KIND OF PIGGYBACK OFF SOME OF WHAT THEY'RE GOING OFF OF NOW. AND THIS IS ONE OF THE BIG MISTAKES I THINK WE MADE WAS AND THIS WOULD BE WAY BEFORE YOUR TIME AND WAY BEFORE MOST OF OUR TIME IS THAT WE JUST GOT SO, LIKE, LIGHT RAIL, LIGHT RAIL, LIGHT RAIL. AND IT'S LIKE WHEN I FIRST GOT TO COUNCIL, IT WAS LIKE DART WAS SO LIKE, OH, WE HAVE THE MOST MILES OF LIGHT RAIL. AND, YOU KNOW, ANY OTHER SYSTEM IN THE NATION. AND IT'S LIKE I WAS LIKE, OKAY, GREAT. LIKE, BUT IF I CAN'T GET WHERE I NEED TO GET, IT DOESN'T DO ME ANY GOOD. AND SO, YOU KNOW, AND I GET BECAUSE I WAS ABOUT TO COME HERE WHEN THAT COMPROMISE WAS MADE. I THINK YOU WAS IN YOUR BREAK AS WELL. [00:15:01] WAS THE COMPROMISE OF D2 AND SILVER LINE. AND SO NOW WE FAST FORWARD AND THE RIDERSHIP IS NOT EVEN THERE YET FOR D2. BUT WE'RE NOW THINKING DIFFERENTLY, SO IT MIGHT BE A BLESSING IN DISGUISE FOR THE CITY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T NEED TO DIG A SUBWAY AT THIS POINT. I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER. I'M JUST SAYING. BUT I DEFINITELY WANT TO. AND I WAS JUST SPEAKING TO OUR CHAIRMAN OVER HERE NEXT TO ME, MR. ATKINS, AND WAS MENTIONING TO HIM, I SAID, YOU KNOW, WE PROBABLY NEED TO GET BACK IN THE ROOM TOGETHER, DART AND DALLAS, AND SEE WHAT WE WANT OR WHAT WHERE WE'RE GOING, BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION, ESPECIALLY IN THE DENSE AREAS. NOW, HERE'S THE THING THAT I'LL ASK IS I KNOW IT'S NO SECRET THAT IT'S ALWAYS SEEMS TO ME IT'S LIKE SUBURBS VERSUS DALLAS OR DALLAS VERSUS SUBURBS, AND IT SHOULDN'T BE THAT WAY. IT'S DART AND THE METHODOLOGY REALLY. YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH DENSITY, RIGHT? YOU GOT TO PUT THE STATIONS, THE DARTS, I MEAN, THE BUS STOPS WHERE THE MOST PEOPLE ARE EITHER WORKING AND OR LIVING. RIGHT. BECAUSE THEN THAT WILL GET THEM TO USE MASS TRANSIT. LIKE, I DON'T KNOW HOW POPULAR THE PARKLAND STOP IS, BUT THAT SEEMS LIKE A SMART STOP, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT THERE NEXT TO THE BIG GIANT HOSPITAL. LOTS OF EMPLOYEES, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF APARTMENTS AROUND THERE NOW, SO THERE'S A LOT OF HEAVY DENSITY. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, BUT WE CAN'T NOT STOP IN RESIDENTIAL AREAS, RIGHT, THAT ARE SINGLE FAMILY. YOU KNOW, YOU GOT TO IT'S HARD BECAUSE EVERYBODY WANTS THE STATION. NOBODY WANTS THE STATION. RIGHT. AND LIKE WHAT MR. ATKINS HAS TALKED ABOUT, I USED TO WORK VERY CLOSE TO THAT LEDBETTER STOP, THAT'S RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE STREET, AND IT'S LIKE. I MEAN, IT MAKES SENSE, BUT IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE AT ALL, BECAUSE WHEN I BECAUSE I LIVED IN LAKE HIGHLANDS AT THE TIME. SO I WOULD TAKE THE TRAIN DOWN BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE, OH, IT'S RIGHT THERE. SO IT'D BE NICE TO RIDE THE TRAIN. AND, YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE TO TAKE MY CAR. IT'S A LOT FASTER. IT'S ACTUALLY WAS FASTER BECAUSE AND THE TRAFFIC, THERE'S NO WAY TO REALLY GET DOWN THERE EASILY, QUICKLY AND FAST FROM LAKE HIGHLANDS. AND SO ANYWAY, WHAT DO YOU ALL THINK? LIKE, DO Y'ALL HAS DART REALLY TALKED TO YOU ALL ABOUT OR YOU ALL AS BOARD LIKE WHAT WE COULD DO FOR D2 SINCE IT'S KIND OF I'M NOT GOING TO SAY IT'S DEAD BECAUSE IT'S NOT, BUT IT'S NOT IN YOUR DEBT CAPACITY. SO WHAT DO Y'ALL THINK? BECAUSE IT'S 20 YEARS, SO IS WHAT Y'ALL PLAN OUT. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. THAT'S RIGHT. HERE WE GO. ONE MORE TIME. THERE YOU GO. OKAY, THERE WE GO. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. BECAUSE WE NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT THE GROWTH JUST IN THIS IN THE CITY OF DALLAS, WE SEE EVERY DAY NEW COMPANIES COMING IN. AND SO HOW DO WE REALLY ENHANCE THAT SERVICE SO THAT THEY CAN RIDE OUR SYSTEM? SO I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA FOR US TO SIT DOWN AND JUST REALLY BEGIN TO TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE, BECAUSE IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT, AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW. WE CAN'T HAVE A STOP FOR EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY TRY TO SHOOT FOR THE STARS AND GET THERE BECAUSE IT IS NEEDED. AND SO THAT'S WHY I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. AS YOU KNOW, COUNCILMAN ATKINS SAID THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WE FOCUS ON THESE AREAS OF GROWING SO BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS. AND SO WE NEED TO TAKE A STRONG LOOK AT THAT AND TAKE A LOOK AT HOW CAN WE REALLY ENHANCE OUR SERVICE AND BUSSES ARE REALLY PROBABLY ONE OF THE WAYS.. ALSO WHAT'S VERY POPULAR, AND I'M NOT SAYING THIS IS RIGHT FOR EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD. IT JUST HAPPENED TO WORK IN WEST DALLAS IS THE GO LINK GOLF CART. YES. PROGRAM. YES, 14,000 RIDES ARE AN AVERAGE A MONTH. THAT'S BIGGER THAN MOST LINES OF LIGHT RAIL, MORE THAN MOST BUS RIDES. RIGHT. BUT BUT IT'S VERY, VERY, LIKE SMALL, RIGHT? YOU CAN'T GET VERY FAR, BUT IT WORKS. AND PEOPLE LIKE IT, AND THEY ENJOY IT, AND IT'S IT'S A FREE RIDE. UNLESS YOU GO OUT OF THE ZONE. THEY CAN GO ONE ZONE NOW OUT, AND THEN IT'S 2.99. BUT I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY, REALLY GREAT THING THAT YOU ALL DID BECAUSE IT'S IT'S GREEN. ALL THESE THINGS ARE RUN ON ELECTRICITY. AND I THINK SIX, EIGHT PEOPLE CAN MAYBE RIDE IT AT, YOU KNOW, IF THEY WANT TO. I MEAN, IF IT GETS THAT MANY CALLS AND IT'S DOOR TO DOOR. SO I'M NOT SAYING THAT THAT'S NOT GOOD FOR EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD. JUST SAYING IT HAPPENED TO WORK FOR US. SO I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL SOONER THAN LATER FOR THE COMMITTEE AND THE DART BOARD MEMBERS FROM DALLAS TO HAVE A BIT OF A WHITEBOARDING SESSION TO TALK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE CITY'S PRIORITIES BECAUSE LIKE THE DART BOARD, I KNOW THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPETING PRIORITIES AND AGENDAS. THAT'S UNDERSTANDABLE. THAT'S DEMOCRACY. BUT WE DO NEED TO GET SOME SENSE FROM THE ELECTED MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL. IF YOU WERE TO RANK ORDER ONE THROUGH, AND LET'S NOT JUST STOP AT TEN, ONE THROUGH 20 AND LOOK AT WHETHER OR NOT IT'S DISTRICT SPECIFIC OR CITYWIDE, WHETHER IT'S SHORT TERM OR LONG TERM, WHETHER IT'S HEAVY OPERATING OR CAPITAL INTENSIVE, BECAUSE THEN WE, AS YOUR REPRESENTATIVES CAN GO TO THE BOARD, THE DART BOARD AND SAY, OKAY, LET'S SEE THESE THINGS AS TRADE OFFS FOR D2. [00:20:02] YEAH. AND I THINK THAT'S WE JUST NEED TO GET IN THE ROOM AND, AND DECIDE IF WE WANT TO TRADE OFF OR IF WE DON'T OR WHAT IT IS. SO THANK YOU ALL. AND I'M GOING TO SHOOT IT OVER TO MISS WILLIS BECAUSE I JUST SAW HER GET BACK ONLINE. AND SO MISS WILLIS AND WE'RE JUST DOING ROUND ROBIN. SO IF YOU WANT TO ASK A QUESTION AND YOU MIGHT, I HOPEFULLY YOU DON'T REPEAT ONE, BUT BUT IF YOU DO, YOU CAN TELL WE'VE KIND OF BEEN FOCUSED ON D2 FOR A LITTLE BIT. SO YES. AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN YOUR COMMITTEE TODAY. MY QUESTION IS AROUND SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN IN THE NEWS LATELY AS DALLAS IS LOOKING AT ALL OF OUR PENNIES AND THEN LITERALLY OUR SALES TAX PENNY. THE DISCUSSION AROUND MAYBE IN THE FUTURE, RECLAIMING SOME OF THAT. THERE'S NO INTENT TO HOBBLE DART. THAT'S A VALUABLE SERVICE THAT'S PROVIDED TO SO MANY IN OUR COMMUNITY. BUT THE EXPECTATION WOULD BE THAT AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE DART IS LOOKING TO THE FUTURE AND MAYBE INCLUDING OTHER COMMUNITIES, ETC.. SO I REALIZE THERE'S PLANNING WORK TO BE DONE AROUND THAT. BUT WHAT DOES EACH OF YOU ALL'S THOUGHT AROUND WHERE DART COULD AND SHOULD GO? THAT MIGHT ALLOW DALLAS TO SCALE BACK POTENTIALLY ON THE CONTRIBUTION, BUT LET IT BE AUGMENTED BY OTHER COMMUNITIES WHO HAVE A NEED FOR THIS SERVICE AS WELL. SO FIRST COUNCIL MEMBER, THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION. I KNOW IT'S RECEIVED A FAIR AMOUNT OF ATTENTION IN THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, AND COUNCIL MEMBER ATKINS ACTUALLY ASKED ME ABOUT IT WHEN WE WERE HERE AS A DART CITY OF DALLAS DELEGATION WITH YOU SIX WEEKS AGO. I'M A LITTLE BIT FOCUSED ON THIS TOPIC RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I'M GOING TO A DART BUDGET MEETING THIS AFTERNOON, SO I KNOW IT'S ON EVERYONE'S MIND. SO I WANTED TO SPEND A MOMENT, WITH YOUR PERMISSION TO ANSWER, BECAUSE I THINK THERE'S THREE IMPORTANT INGREDIENTS IN THAT DISCUSSION. AND COUNCIL MEMBER ATKINS AND I CHATTED ABOUT THIS BRIEFLY, BUT I'VE GIVEN IT MORE THOUGHT SINCE WE TALKED, AND I TAKE IT VERY SERIOUSLY. SO FIRST, FROM A STANDPOINT OF HOW THIS COULD HAPPEN, MEANING HYPOTHETICALLY THERE'S DISCUSSION THAT MOVES TO REALITY OF RETURNING HYPOTHETICALLY, 25% OF THE PENNY. OKAY. SO THAT'S LET'S JUST USE THAT AS THE DISCUSSION POINT. THAT REALLY CAN HAPPEN IN ONE OF TWO WAYS. ONE IS THE LEGISLATURE COULD CHANGE THE LEGISLATION THAT GOVERNS DART AND ITS CREATION. THE SECOND IS THAT THE DART BOARD COULD OPT TO RETURN FUNDS TO THE CITIES. AND AS YOU KNOW, AS A RESULT OF THE WAY BOTH FEDERAL MONIES AND SALES TAX PLAYED OUT IN THE EARLY PORTION OF THE PANDEMIC THAT RESULTED IN THE 100 OR SO MILLION DOLLARS THAT THE CITY OF DALLAS RECEIVED AS AN EXCESS SALES TAX PAYMENT TO FUND YOUR COMPLIMENTARY TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS. SO THOSE ARE THE TWO WAYS FOR IT TO HAPPEN. IT ISN'T POSSIBLE FOR DALLAS OR ANY OTHER CITY TO JUST DECIDE TO SOMEHOW TAKE BACK TEN, OR 20 OR 30% OF THE PENNY. IT EITHER REQUIRES LEGISLATION. UNDERSTOOD. THAT'S UNDERSTOOD. I'M JUST TRYING TO GET AT WHAT'S THE VISION OF SO. SO THEN LET'S GO TO STEP TWO. WHICH ONE IS ONE THAT I'VE SPENT A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME BECAUSE I'VE HAD SEVERAL MEMBERS OF COUNCIL APPROACH ME, AND I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS SO THAT I CAN BOTH BE A GOOD REPRESENTATIVE, BUT ALSO BE A GOOD THINKER ON THIS. AND I'M GOING TO USE AN ANALOGY THAT I'VE USED NOW WITH SEVERAL OF MY COLLEAGUES, AND I HOPE IT'S HELPFUL FOR THIS DISCUSSION. LET'S SAY, HYPOTHETICALLY, THAT IN FACT, I'LL PICK ON COUNCIL MEMBER SCHULTZ, WHO I'VE NOT DISCUSSED THIS ANALOGY WITH, BUT I KNOW HER WELL ENOUGH TO PICK ON HER. LET'S IMAGINE THAT COUNCIL MEMBER SCHULTZ HAS A MORTGAGE ON HER HOME OF $4,000 A MONTH. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE SIZE OF THE HOUSE IS, WHAT A DOWN PAYMENT WAS. SHE OWES $4,000 A MONTH TO THE MORTGAGE COMPANY. AND LET'S SAY, FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS ANALOGY, THAT SHE HAS INCOME OR REVENUE PER MONTH OF $10,000. OKAY, SO SHE HAS $6,000 THAT SHE CAN SPEND ON EVERYTHING ELSE, AND $4,000 THAT HAS TO GO TO THE BANK. PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD STUFF. DEBT SERVICE, BASICALLY, IF DART'S REVENUE, WHICH IS PRINCIPALLY SALES TAX, RIGHT, WE GET A LITTLE BIT OF FAIR REVENUE, A LITTLE BIT OF ADVERTISING, BUT IT'S PRINCIPALLY SALES TAX IF THAT WERE TO BE REDUCED BY 25%. SO IN THE CASE OF MRS. SCHULTZ, AS OPPOSED TO EARNING OR GENERATING REVENUE OF $10,000 A MONTH, SHE GENERATED $7,500 A MONTH. THE REALITY IS THAT HER MORTGAGE WILL NOT GO DOWN ON A COMMENSURATE BASIS. THE BANK WANTS TO GET PAID. AND SO WHAT THAT MEANS, AND I'VE REALLY SPENT SOME TIME ON IT, AND I HAVE THE 2024 BUDGET BINDER TO HELP ME AS BACK UP IS THAT IF, HYPOTHETICALLY, EITHER THE LEGISLATURE OR THROUGH THE REQUEST FROM DALLAS AND THE OTHER CITY COUNCILS THAT MAKE UP THE MEMBER CITIES, WE WERE TO BE ASKED TO RETURN 25% OF OUR BUDGET. THE IMPACT IS MORE THAN 25% OF A SERVICE REDUCTION, BECAUSE JUST AS MRS. [00:25:04] SCHULTZ HAS TO PAY HER MORTGAGE PAYMENT, WE HAVE TO PAY OUR DEBT SERVICE, WHICH IS NORTH OF $3 BILLION. AND IN A LET ME LET ME JUST IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, SAY I UNDERSTAND THAT PART. THAT'S WHY THE QUESTION WOULD BE WHERE WOULD YOU GET THAT FROM? AND IN THE VISION OF DART AND SERVING THIS REGION IT'S NOT SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT THAT WOULD DO. IT'S WHAT WHAT ELSE NEEDS TO COME INTO THE PICTURE AND WHAT THE THINKING IS AROUND THAT THAT COULD POTENTIALLY OFFSET THAT. I HEAR YOU OKAY. SO IT GOES TO THE THIRD PORTION OF THIS DISCUSSION, WHICH IS WHAT CAN WE CUT OR WHERE CAN WE GENERATE MORE REVENUE, WHICH I THINK IS YOUR QUESTION. RIGHT. WELL, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT GENERATING THAT. WELL, IT IS ABOUT GENERATING THE REVENUE, BUT IT'S IN THINKING REGIONALLY, THE BIG PICTURE OF WHO ELSE SHOULD OR COULD BE BROUGHT IN TO THIS. I HEAR YOU. SO IN TERMS OF OTHER CITIES, OKAY. AS YOU KNOW, IT REQUIRES A VOTE OF THE THE COUNCIL HAS TO PUT IT ON THE BALLOT, AND THE TAXPAYERS IN THAT COMMUNITY HAVE TO VOTE FOR IT. AND THE CHALLENGE IS THAT THE VERY COMMUNITIES THAT WE BELIEVE WOULD BENEFIT FROM DART AND THAT ARE CONTIGUOUS. RIGHT? SO IT WOULD BE EASY, LIKE, WE DON'T WANT TO GO SERVE A CITY THAT WE HAVE TO LEAP OVER. THOSE CITIES HAVE TAKEN THEIR PENNY AND DEVOTED IT TO OTHER THINGS. AND I DON'T WANT TO SPEAK FOR THOSE CITIES. BUT WHAT I UNDERSTAND FROM TALKING TO THE STAKEHOLDERS IS THAT THEY'RE PRETTY FOND OF HOW THEY'RE SPENDING THEIR PENNY, AND MAYBE THEY'LL SPEND HALF A PENNY, OR MAYBE THEY'LL CONTRACT WITH DART FOR SOME LIMITED SERVICE. OR MAYBE THEY EVEN HAVE THEIR OWN LITTLE TRANSIT AGENCY, BUT THEY'RE NOT INCLINED TO WANT TO COMMIT THAT PENNY. NOW, COULD WE COME UP WITH A SOLUTION THAT SAYS A HALF PENNY? PERHAPS. THEN THE QUESTION BECOMES FAIRNESS. BECAUSE IF, HYPOTHETICALLY, PLANO IS SPENDING A PENNY, CAN WE CONVINCE FRISCO TO GET HALF A PENNY? AND WHAT DO THEY GET FOR THAT? HALF A PENNY? THAT'S A SALES EFFORT, AND I THINK WE CAN MAKE PROGRESS. BUT I KNOW FROM THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD AT THE BOARD ASKING OUR STAFF TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS, WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE WHO'S RIGHT NOW MOTIVATED TO SEND SOME OF THEIR TAX REVENUES TO FUND TRANSPORTATION VIA DART. WELL, I UNDERSTAND, AND SOME SOME OF THOSE COMMUNITIES ARE SPENDING THEY'VE DEDICATED THEIR THEIR PENNY TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. ALL TRANSPORTATION CAN HELP FEED INTO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. SO I WAS MY CURIOSITY IS ABOUT HOW THESE DISCUSSIONS. IF THEY'RE NOT TRANSPIRING, WHAT WOULD WE THINK? HOW MIGHT WE GET THERE? AND IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE MAYBE THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. WELL, WE'VE HAD SOME OF THEM COUNCIL MEMBER WE'VE HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH SOME OF THE CITIES THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE DART SERVICE AREA, AND THEIR INQUIRIES TO DATE HAVE BEEN FOR BASICALLY A CONTRACT TO PROVIDE SOME TYPE OF BUS SERVICE. BUT THERE'S BEEN NO APPETITE FOR LIGHT RAIL, AND THERE'S BEEN NO APPETITE FOR WHAT I WOULD CONSIDER TO BE A ROBUST TRANSPORTATION SOLUTION. AND SO IT REALLY CREATES A PICKLE BECAUSE ARGUABLY THE NORTHERN SUBURBS AND SOME OF THE SOUTHERN SUBURBS WOULD WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS EQUATION. AND EITHER AS A MATTER OF ECONOMICS OR POLITICAL WILL, THERE'S NO APPETITE. MISS GARCIA, WHAT'S YOUR EXPERIENCE? I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THE COMMENT THAT RODNEY HAS MENTIONED. WE HAVE DISCUSSED VARIOUS OPTIONS, BUT AT THIS POINT IN TIME, IT REALLY MAKES IT DIFFICULT BECAUSE THESE CITIES HAVE REALLY MADE A DECISION ON THEIR PENNY TAX AND IT'S GOING TOWARDS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. DEPENDING ON WHEN THAT WOULD EXPIRE, PERHAPS WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO LOOK FOR THE FUTURE. I THINK THIS WOULD BE A GOOD TOPIC FOR US TO ALSO DISCUSS CHAIRMAN IN OUR BOARD, IN OUR MEETING, BECAUSE THESE ARE GREAT OPTIONS AND GREAT THINGS, BUT WE NEED TO REALLY SEE IT ON PAPER AND KIND OF MAKE A DETERMINATION AS TO WHERE DO WE WANT TO GO. GOING BACK TO YOUR COMMENT, WHAT'S THE FUTURE GOING TO LOOK LIKE FOR US? FOR ALL OF US? BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THESE CARS ON OUR ROADS, WE NEED TO KIND OF TRY TO ELIMINATE SOME OF THE TRAFFIC THAT WE HAVE, AND WE HAVE MORE AND MORE PEOPLE MOVING TO THIS REGION. AND SO I THINK THESE ARE GREAT DISCUSSION ITEMS, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO SIT AND AND TALK ABOUT IT. AND LET'S REALLY BE REALISTIC ABOUT WHAT CAN AND CANNOT BE DONE. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. VERY GOOD. MR. ATKINS, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. OKAY. YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, I'M TRYING TO PUT MY HEADS AROUND DART. THE MAIN DEAL IS TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO WORK, THE WORKFORCE. YOU KNOW, WE KEEP SAYING THE WORKFORCE. I LOOK AT WHEN WE FIRST DID THE LIGHT RAIL AND WE DID EXTENSION LIGHT RAIL. AND WHEN LEE JACKSON WAS THERE, WHEN GARY [INAUDIBLE] WAS THERE, I SAID, LET'S BRING THE LIGHT RAIL INTO UNT DALLAS WE DIDN'T BRING THE LIGHT RAIL INTO UNT THAT WAS STILL OUTSIDE OF DALLAS, BUT WE'VE BEEN BUILT OFF. IT WENT INSIDE THE UNT DALLAS LIKE PHOENIX, BUT WE DIDN'T DO THAT. YOU KNOW, WE COULD NOT CHANGE THAT BECAUSE THE DESIGN WAS ALREADY DONE. [00:30:04] AND NOW WE KIND OF IT'S SEEM TO THE POINT. WE SPEND MONEY AND WE GO BACK AND TRY TO RETHINK IT AGAIN. YEAH, RETROFIT. JUST LIKE THE INLAND PORT, YOU KNOW, WE 2006, WE SPENT ALL THIS MONEY IN THE PORT AND WE CAN'T GET PEOPLE TO WORK THE WORKFORCE, WE CAN'T GET THEM INTO THE INLAND PORT BECAUSE THE LIGHT RAIL, YOU KNOW, WE GOT AMAZON, WE GOT OTHER CITIES, OTHER COMPANIES PAY FOR RIDERSHIP FROM CORINTH OR FROM DART TO GET THEM TO THE INLAND PORT, BACK AND FORTH, TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS. SO IT'S ALL ABOUT RIDERSHIP. SO ANYTIME WE START TALKING ABOUT INVESTMENT INTO DART THE RETURN ON OUR SALES TAX, WE ALWAYS SAY THE SOUTHERN PORT OF DALLAS IS GETTING LEFT BEHIND. AND I KEEP HEARING THAT. I HEAR IT WAS ON TV. I HEAR THE NEWSPAPER, I HEAR, YOU KNOW, POLITICAL PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT IT. YOU KNOW, CENTER OF DALLAS, THAT OUR FIRST PLACE GOING TO GET CUT. I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT WHAT IS FIRST PLACE GOING TO GET CUT. I'M WORRIED ABOUT HOW TO INCREASE RIDERSHIP, HOW TO INCREASE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE TO GET TO WORK. YOU LOOK AT THE 2010 CENSUS TRACK. MY DISTRICT OUTGREW THE WHOLE CITY DALLAS 2 TO 1 IN POPULATION. OVER 50% OF YOUR POPULATION IS SOUTH OF 30. THAT'S YOUR POPULATION. I MEAN, THAT'S YOUR WORKFORCE. AND NOW YOU CAN'T GET A WORKFORCE TO THE JOB. SO TO ME, THAT'S THE DISCUSSION THAT I'VE BEEN HAVING, SAY, HOW DO I GET MY WORKFORCE TO THE JOB? YOU KNOW, I LOOK AT TI, YOU KNOW BACK IN THE 70, WHATEVER, 65% OF THE WORKFORCE LIVES IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF DALLAS, BUT THEY CAN'T GET THERE WHEN VANPOOL GOT STARTED. SO I JUST WANT TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT VA HOSPITAL. OVER 5000 EMPLOYEES WORK AT VA, YOU KNOW, BUT BUT GOING EAST AND WEST, YOU KNOW, FROM [INAUDIBLE] YOU KNOW, TO THE REDBIRD MALL. THOSE PEOPLE GOT TO GO IN DOWNTOWN. I LOOK AT IF I WERE LIVING AT PAUL QUINN COLLEGE, IF I WANT TO GO TO A GROCERY STORE, YOU KNOW, WITHIN ON LANCASTER AND LEDBETTER, I GOT TO GO ALL THE WAY DOWNTOWN, GO THERE AND GO ALL THE WAY BACK DOWNTOWN, COME BACK BECAUSE I DON'T GO EAST AND WEST. SO, SO IN A SHORT PHASE IN TRYING TO SEND OUR $0.01 AND WHERE OUR MONEY GO TO THAT. ARE WE BACK TO CHAIRMAN GRACEY, TO VISUALIZE THAT WE'RE GOING TO GROW IN SOUTH OF 30. THE POPULATION WILL GROW BECAUSE OF LAND MASS. WE WON'T GET MORE DENSITY IN THE FUTURE. WE ARE GOING TO GET DENSITY. AND THAT'S WHAT OUR POPULATION GOING TO BE. BUT LOOK LIKE WE'RE NOT GROWING THAT WAY FOR OUR PEOPLE TO GET TO WORK. YOU KNOW, I LOOK AT SOME OF THE BUS STOPS, YOU KNOW, DO YOU GOT A TRASH CAN OR DO YOU GOT COVERED SHELTER OR ARE THEY WALKING IN MUD AND WALKING GRASS? SO THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE LOOKING AT AND SAY, HEY, THAT WILL GIVE US MORE RIDERSHIP IF WE ARE CATERING TO THE PEOPLE WHO NEED TO GET TO WORK RIGHT NOW. I GOT PEOPLE WHO CAN'T GET TO WORK TO INLAND PORT. YEAH. AND I THINK THAT WE ALREADY HAVE SOME PROGRAMS IN PLACE TO WHERE WE CAN EXPAND THE GO LINKS OR EXPAND THE ZONES WHERE WE CAN TAKE YOU TO THOSE SHORTER DISTANCES AND STILL GET YOU TO A TRAIN OR A BUS. AND, AND IT'S THAT LAST MILE AND THAT LAST LITTLE WALK THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR COMMUNITIES, SOME OF OUR FOLKS CAN'T WALK THAT FAR. THEY CAN'T EVEN WALK A BLOCK. SO I BELIEVE WE'VE GOT THINGS NOW THAT WE COULD TAKE A LOOK AT, EXPAND THAT SERVICE PERHAPS IN SOME WAY. AND IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE A BUS, BUT GETS THEM TO THE BUS OR GETS THEM TO THE LIGHT RAIL. SO THAT'S JUST SOMETHING FOR US TO CONSIDER COUNCILMAN. OKAY, QUESTION. SO WHEN Y'ALL LOOK AT THAT, I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO, TO THE D2 CAPACITY. I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO WORK CAPACITY. AND WHEN I LOOK AT CAPACITY, YOU SAID I CAN DO $1 BILLION WORTH OF CAPACITY THOUGH IF I CAN MY MY DEBT, I CAN DO MY DEBT. I CAN GROW THAT DEBT. AND DO STAFF GO BACK TO THE BOARD AND SAY, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE GOT 1,000,000,002 HERE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO THE THE D2 LINE. WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO IT. YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO IT. BUT WE ALSO GOT THESE OTHER BILLS AND HER MAINTENANCE AND EVERYTHING. BUT YOU ALREADY GOT A BUDGET TO DO THAT. TO ME, THIS CAPACITY IS EXTRA MONEY. AND SO WHO IS CONTROLLING THAT BILLION TWO EXTRA MONEY, SAY, WELL WHERE IS THE BEST PLACE TO PUT THAT MONEY AT AND WHERE DO THE DART BOARD COME INTO THAT? I DO STAFF SAY IT'S ALREADY EATEN UP, YOU KNOW. OKAY, SO A FEW YOU'VE ASKED A BUNCH OF GOOD QUESTIONS. SO FIRST ON THE ISSUE OF ALLOCATING CAPACITY THAT IS THE BOARD'S JOB. SO LET'S BE CLEAR ON THAT. TWO IS I'VE TAKEN NOTES ON TWO THINGS, ONE OF WHICH IS VERY TIMELY BECAUSE OF A BOARD MEETING. EXCUSE ME, A COMMITTEE MEETING THIS AFTERNOON. ONE IS I WILL MAKE SURE THAT WE GET CLARITY, MAYBE NOT IN THIS AFTERNOON'S BUDGET MEETING, BUT CERTAINLY IN THE COMING WEEKS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE AVAILABLE CAPACITY [00:35:04] BASED ON THE WAY THE 20 YEAR PLAN HAS BEEN PROJECTED WITH THE PAUSING OF D2? IT'S A GREAT QUESTION I WAS DESCRIBING BEFORE. THERE'S THAT THERE'S FUTURE CAPACITY. THERE'S WHAT WE'RE NOT SPENDING ON D2, WHAT WE COULD SPEND ON D2 IN FEDERAL MONEY, THREE, THREE PIECES. I'M GOING TO GET AN ANSWER FOR YOU. I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER RIGHT NOW, BUT IT DESERVES AN ANSWER. AND THEN IT GOES TO THE IDEA OF HAVING A BRAINSTORMING SESSION TO PRIORITIZE WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO THE CITY OF DALLAS. AND THE THIRD THING YOU TOUCHED ON, ALTHOUGH I THINK YOU MENTIONED IT FIRST, WAS HOW IS SOUTHERN DALLAS BEING SERVED? AND SINCE WE DID THE REDESIGN OF THE BUS NETWORK AND THE EXPANSION OF GO LINK, WE'VE GOTTEN QUARTERLY UPDATES TO SAY, IS IT WORKING? ARE THESE NEW ROUTES SERVING PEOPLE? ARE THEY NOT SERVING PEOPLE? IS GO LINK RIDERSHIP UP OR DOWN, BY THE WAY? IT'S WAY UP. SO I'LL TAKE AS A TASK FOR US TO GET BACK TO YOU, AND WE'LL HAVE TO RELY ON STAFF TO DO AN OVERLAY OF THE BUS REDESIGN THAT OCCURRED OVER THE LAST 18 MONTHS. THE EXPANSION OF GO LINK LIGHT RAIL HASN'T CHANGED. AND HOW ARE WE SEEING THE RIDERSHIP TRENDS THAT YOU'RE DESCRIBING SOUTH OF 30? OKAY. I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO BE UP. ARE THEY UP AS MUCH AS WE WANT THEM TO BE? NO, BUT THEY ARE UP. AND THEN TO YOUR POINT, AND IT'S PART OF THE PROBLEM EITHER. AND I THINK YOU TOUCHED ON IT CHAIR. DENSITY AND WORKFORCE INTERSECTIONS. SO I'LL HAVE TO GET BACK WITH YOU. BUT I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT AND WE NEED TO GET YOU AN ANSWER. IT'S GOING TO BE GOOD. IT'S JUST. IS IT GOOD ENOUGH? OKAY. THANK YOU. AND DO Y'ALL HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS? SO I'M JUST GOING TO WRAP IT UP WITH. SO YOU JUST HEARD THIS AND HE HASN'T QUIT SAYING IT HASN'T QUIT TALKING ABOUT IT. EVERY TIME WE MEET WITH Y'ALL, HE BRINGS UP, BRINGS IT UP SO YOU ARE WALKING INTO YOUR BEGINNING OF YOUR BUDGET MEETINGS, SO GET THAT IN THE BUDGET SO THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN HOPEFULLY GET SOMETHING FOR TO HELP THIS AREA BECAUSE THEY DO NEED IT, OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE ASKING FOR IT AS WELL. BUT YOU ALL DID EXPAND THAT ONE LINE BACK. SO IT WAS GOOD. AND THAT'S THE HARD PART. SOMETIMES CONSULTANTS MESS UP WHEN THEY'RE LOOKING AT CERTAIN THINGS, RIGHT. SO BUT WE'VE GOT TO REPAIR DAMAGE IF IT'S BEEN DONE. LIKE FOR WEST DALLAS, IT WORKED OUT BECAUSE WE GOT THAT PILOT FROM TOYOTA, AND THEN YOU ALL TOOK IT OVER. BECAUSE Y'ALL WERE NOT GOING TO PUT THE BUSSES BACK IN THE, YOU KNOW, THE SMALL NEIGHBORHOODS STREETS. BUT I ALSO LOOK AT IT AS I'M GLAD NOW, THE SILVER LINING FOR ME IS I DON'T HAVE BIG OLD GIANT HEAVY BUSSES ON MY NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS. I HAVE LITTLE GOLF CARTS, SO THEY'RE NOT DAMAGING OUR STREETS THE WAY THE BUSSES TEAR THEM UP. AND IT'S NOT JUST THE BUSSES, IT'S JUST THEY'RE MASSIVE AND THERE HEAVY. AND NOW THAT WE'RE GETTING THE ELECTRIC ONES, I THINK THEY'RE EVEN HEAVIER. YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER. I DON'T CARE IF YOU KNOW. CERTAINLY BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE WEIGHT OF THE BUS. GO AHEAD, GO AHEAD, MISTER ATKINS. QUESTION. YOU KNOW, HOW MANY CITY DO WE HAVE NOW, 12, 13 CITY IN DART? IS 12, 13? 13. 13 MEMBER CITY. ARE WE TRYING TO? DALLAS PLUS 12. OKAY. ARE WE TRYING TO GROW MORE MEMBERSHIP? IF SO, ARE WE TRYING TO DO THAT? WHAT'S THE PLAN? YEAH, THAT'S WHAT COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIS WAS JUST ASKING ABOUT. WE HAVE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH SEVERAL OF THE CITIES OUTSIDE OF THE SERVICE AREA. SO FAR, THEY HAVE NOT SHOWN AN APPETITE IN CONTRIBUTING THEIR PENNY. SOME OF THEM ARE INTERESTED IN CONTRACT BUS SERVICE THAT WOULD FINANCIALLY MAKE NO IMPACT ON OUR OVERALL OPERATIONS. IT WOULD BE FEE FOR SERVICE, RIGHT? THEY GIVE US A CONTRACT FOR $3 MILLION AND WE'D RUN $3 MILLION WORTH OF BUS SERVICE. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE A SHIFT IN THINKING TO GET THE SUBURBS, TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT ACTUALLY COMMITTING TO PARTICIPATING IN DART AND REALLY BEING TRANSPORTATION PARTNERS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT TODAY, THEY ARE DOING A LA CARTE INITIATIVES THAT ARE FUNDED AT SMALL DOLLARS. AND WHETHER WE'RE THE CONTRACTOR OR SOME PRIVATE BUS COMPANY IS THE CONTRACTOR. THAT'S NOT WHAT ALL OF US WOULD WANT. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. VERY GOOD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WITH THAT, THAT COMPLETES OUR INTERVIEWS AND WE WILL SEE YOU ON THE AGENDA ON WEDNESDAY. SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE HERE FOR IT. YOU CAN WATCH VIRTUALLY IF YOU WANT OR WAIT UNTIL WE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF US CALLS YOU OR TEXTS YOU TO SAY IT'S IT'S DONE AND OVER WITH, BUT BARRING ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS ODD ON WEDNESDAY. BUT, YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE ANY GIVEN WEDNESDAY IN THIS BUILDING, SO NEVER KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN SOMETIME. SO BUT JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW. AND THEN, PLEASE, IF EVEN IF YOU'RE LEAVING, GO IN AND GRAB THERE'S NICE SALADS AND DIFFERENT NICE LUNCHES BACK THERE. GRAB WHAT YOU WANT AND GO IF YOU NEED TO. OR YOU CAN SIT BACK THERE AND EAT BECAUSE WE'RE GOING TO GET READY TO START OUR NEXT MEETING. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SERVICE. AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR GIVING BACK TO THE CITY OF DALLAS, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT BIG PAYCHECK Y'ALL GET IS HUGE OF ZERO. AND BUT YOU DO GET A DART PASS, SO THAT'S KIND OF NICE. THAT'S A REALLY NICE NICE THING IF YOU IF YOU ACTUALLY UTILIZE IT. SO I HOPE YOU ARE. OBVIOUSLY RODNEY IS. I KNOW YOU ARE, TOO, CARMEN. BECAUSE I CATCH YOU ON THERE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. WITH THAT THE TIME IS NOW 1:01 P.M., AND I CALLED TO CLOSE THE MAY 20TH, 2024 TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE MEETING SPECIAL CALLED MEETING FOR THE CITY OF DALLAS. THANK YOU EVERYBODY. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.