DALLAS — Dallas Area Rapid Transit’s board of directors approved a $1.4 billion budget on Sept. 22, 2026, that returns some local funding to the agency’s 12 member cities under the General Mobility Program, according to KERA’s report of the board action.
Board chair Randall Bryant said earlier in the month that the GMP is fully funded and that there are no new service reductions in this fiscal year. About 85% of the budget goes to capital and operating expenses that keep everyday service running. About 12% goes to debt service. New services such as the Legacy Circulator shuttle in Plano, added earlier this year, are included.
Who voted no, and what riders asked for
Two directors voted against the budget. Doug Hrbacek, who represents Carrollton and Irving, said revenue has grown while transit services in the budget are not reflective of that increase. Anthony Ricciardelli, representing Plano, called the budget unsustainable and said it inherited an inequitable allocation of resources even as a status-quo package.
During public comment, rider Hillary Brown, who is disabled and relies on DART, said she could not find a clear breakdown of spending in public information online and asked for bus-stop amenities including benches, trash cans, coverings, and maintenance so people can wait in North Texas weather.
DART spokesperson Jasmyn Carter said in an emailed statement that with board approval the agency looks forward to operational excellence for riders, progress on Transform priorities, and continued partnership with member cities. Carter also said a $70 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant to upgrade aging light-rail vehicles is not in this year’s budget. Vehicle replacement remains in the Capital Improvement Plan, with funding reflected in the FY28 budget.
Numbers that frame the regional fight
The $1.4 billion total, the fully funded GMP return to cities, the roughly 85% capital-and-operating share, and the roughly 12% debt-service share are the core figures from the board-week coverage. The named no votes from Hrbacek and Ricciardelli put equity and revenue-growth arguments on the record beside Bryant’s no-new-cuts assurance.
Advocacy tension showed up around legislative priorities as well. KERA reported that some DART advocates want the agency to focus on replacing funding lost through the GMP rather than expanding the board beyond 20 members. Dallas Area Transit Alliance member Alexander Dunn warned against rearranging slices of the pie instead of growing resources riders need.
Related Never Late News coverage in the North Texas civic finance and mobility cluster includes the Fort Worth $511.5 million streets bond and Fort Worth’s FY2027 budget vote.
Why this matters for North Texas transit money
DART’s budget is regional civic finance: sales-tax-backed transit dollars shared across Dallas and suburbs, now partly returned through the GMP while service levels and capital replacement timelines stay contested. Member-city councils will watch whether GMP payments arrive as promised and whether bus and rail riders see the amenities and service equity directors debated.
The light-rail vehicle grant sitting outside this year’s operating picture also matters. Replacement needs are acknowledged in the CIP, but the $70 million federal award does not shore up FY spending until FY28 under the agency’s stated plan.
How Never Late News reported this
Never Late News based this report on KERA’s Sept. 23, 2026 coverage of the Sept. 22 DART board vote, including the $1.4 billion budget total, GMP funding for 12 member cities, Bryant’s statement that the GMP is fully funded with no new service reductions this fiscal year, the approximately 85% capital-and-operating and 12% debt-service split, inclusion of the Legacy Circulator in Plano, the no votes by Doug Hrbacek and Anthony Ricciardelli with their equity and sustainability quotes, Hillary Brown’s public-comment requests, and Jasmyn Carter’s emailed statement on operational excellence, Transform priorities, and the $70 million USDOT light-rail vehicle grant timing. Primary secondary source covering the live board action: KERA: DART passes new budget as riders urge for more funding sources. We did not open a separate DART budget PDF for page-level cites and did not invent interviews for this draft.
Corrections and reader feedback
If you spot an error in budget totals, vote counts, named directors, grant timing, or dates, email editor@neverlatenews.com with the correction and a source link. Never Late News corrects factual mistakes promptly and notes substantive updates when DART or member cities revise budget materials.
About Never Late News: Never Late News is a US local and civic news site covering budgets, taxes, schools, housing, and public services with people-first reporting. This article carries the byline Ron M. Holiday.
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