DATA's August newsletter highlights key events, including our General Meeting on August 18 and upcoming public meetings at the DART Board and Dallas City Council.

August General Meeting

• Sunday, August 18, 2024 from 3:00-5:00pm
• The Metropolitan Condos at 1200 Main Street, Dallas
• Use the Murphy Drive entrance. The meeting will be in the Community Room on the 6th floor (same room as the first general meeting).
• We will have light snacks and refreshments available.

We will be discussing our strategy for two upcoming public meetings that we want to show up in large numbers for.

---

DART Board Meeting

• Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 6:00pm
• DART Headquarters at Akard Station, 1401 Pacific Avenue, Dallas
• Please arrive 30 minutes early to register for public comments.

Some members of the DART board are not very supportive of transit. Right now, there is a push among some board members to cut DART’s operating budget by 5-10% this year and cap DART’s revenue growth. Other DART board members have expressed willingness to compromise with cities that want to cut DART’s funding.

By showing up, we wish to communicate to the DART board:

1. Our opposition to these harsh budget cut resolutions, and our disappointment with the member cities who passed them.
2. Our opposition to ANY revenue capping.
3. Our support of improvements in frequency and service in next year's budget.
4. Our opposition of any state legislation that cuts or caps their budget.

Dallas City Council Meeting

• Wednesday, August 28, 2024 at 9:00 am
• Dallas City Hall at 1500 Marilla Street, Dallas

We intend to make a big showing here in support of DART funding, and we wish to communicate that we are:

1. Opposed to DART funding cuts.
2. Opposed to DART revenue caps.
3. Opposed to any state legislation that seeks to cap or cut DART’s revenue. The state legislature should not be involved in DART’s budget.

This meeting is just one day after the DART board meeting. If you can only attend one meeting, Dallas residents should prioritize this one.

Registration for public comments will close at 5pm on Tuesday, August 27th. If you plan to attend this meeting in-person, please let us know so we can get a count. The City of Dallas also allows speaking virtually as an option in case you cannot attend in-person.

Registration to speak at the City Council meeting will open on Thursday, August 22nd at 8:15 am. There are 3 ways to register:

1. Register online at personalfinance.dallascityhall.com/speakers.aspx.
2. Email secspeakerrequest@dallas.gov with your name, address, phone number, and meeting method (teleconference or in-person).
3. Call the office at 214-670-3738 with your name, address, phone number, and meeting method (teleconference or in-person).

NOTE: The City of Dallas limits speakers to one public comment per month, so please be wary of that. You can read the full policy on the Dallas City Council website.

As a reminder, the public meetings we plan on attending are back to back - the DART Board meeting is Tuesday evening, and the Dallas City Council meeting is Wednesday morning. If you can only attend one, Dallas residents should prioritize attending the Dallas City Council meeting.

To get the latest updates and news, follow DATA's social media listed at https://dallasareatransitalliance.org/contact.