URGENT!!! DART may cut their own budget as a "compromise"
DART may cut their own budget by $46 million to avoid HB 3187/SB 1557, even though in my opinion those bills are unlikely to pass.
They want to establish their own "general mobility program" and this general mobility program would cost DART 5% of their busget.
Service cuts would still be pretty severe, and it would decimate DART's ability to ever improve service. 25% is horrible, but a 5% sales tax cut is still really bad. This 5% idea is still new, so we don't yet know what exactly gets cut. I haven't talked about this yet because we know so little. Yet it's moving along so fast.
Only Plano, Highland Park, University Park, and Farmers Branch would get this money from DART. No other cities would be able to take from this 5% "General Mobility Program"
Next week, I want everyone to call the Senate committee on transportation. But from now and until Sunday, I need EVERYONE POSSIBLE to please email your city council members and the DART board.
You specifically need to tell them you oppose the general mobility program, and you oppose any reduction to service. Here's a sample
"Hello DART board of directors,
My name is ___. I am emailing you to state my opposition to any general mobility program that gives DART's money back to cities. I believe that DART's money belongs to DART and should not be given to member cities. Please oppose any general mobility fund, and any measure that would lead to service cuts"
You can, if you want, also say that the public hasn't had enough time to react to this general mobility program.
DART should NOT be cost sharing with cities. Nothing good can come out of this. People will lose their jobs, service planning will be forced to remove service. The service that gets removed just might be yours.
This is a horrible idea, and we cannot allow for it.
Here are the emails of every DART board member (mobile users check the pinned comment for easy copy and paste)
RSchlosser@dart.org, MNBarbera@dart.org, FMHernandez@dart.org, MCEnoch@dart.org, RHStopfer@dart.org, MWKrause@dart.org, PJKennedy@dart.org, DHrbacek@dart.org, CGarcia3@dart.org, MAbraham@dart.org, EMacGregor@dart.org, DDAlexander@dart.org, RBBryant@dart.org, gaslagel@dart.org
Copy and paste that to email the entire DART board all at once. Hopefully DATA can get an action network out soon. Flood their inbox with complaints.
Even well meaning pro-transit DART board members may feel the pressure and vote for this horrible compromise. So everyone needs to hear how awful this compromise is.
DART may cut their own budget by $46 million to avoid HB 3187/SB 1557, even though in my opinion those bills are unlikely to pass.
They want to establish their own "general mobility program" and this general mobility program would cost DART 5% of their busget.
Service cuts would still be pretty severe, and it would decimate DART's ability to ever improve service. 25% is horrible, but a 5% sales tax cut is still really bad. This 5% idea is still new, so we don't yet know what exactly gets cut. I haven't talked about this yet because we know so little. Yet it's moving along so fast.
Only Plano, Highland Park, University Park, and Farmers Branch would get this money from DART. No other cities would be able to take from this 5% "General Mobility Program"
Next week, I want everyone to call the Senate committee on transportation. But from now and until Sunday, I need EVERYONE POSSIBLE to please email your city council members and the DART board.
You specifically need to tell them you oppose the general mobility program, and you oppose any reduction to service. Here's a sample
"Hello DART board of directors,
My name is ___. I am emailing you to state my opposition to any general mobility program that gives DART's money back to cities. I believe that DART's money belongs to DART and should not be given to member cities. Please oppose any general mobility fund, and any measure that would lead to service cuts"
You can, if you want, also say that the public hasn't had enough time to react to this general mobility program.
DART should NOT be cost sharing with cities. Nothing good can come out of this. People will lose their jobs, service planning will be forced to remove service. The service that gets removed just might be yours.
This is a horrible idea, and we cannot allow for it.
Here are the emails of every DART board member (mobile users check the pinned comment for easy copy and paste)
RSchlosser@dart.org, MNBarbera@dart.org, FMHernandez@dart.org, MCEnoch@dart.org, RHStopfer@dart.org, MWKrause@dart.org, PJKennedy@dart.org, DHrbacek@dart.org, CGarcia3@dart.org, MAbraham@dart.org, EMacGregor@dart.org, DDAlexander@dart.org, RBBryant@dart.org, gaslagel@dart.org
Copy and paste that to email the entire DART board all at once. Hopefully DATA can get an action network out soon. Flood their inbox with complaints.
Even well meaning pro-transit DART board members may feel the pressure and vote for this horrible compromise. So everyone needs to hear how awful this compromise is.