Open Letter to Highland Park & University Park About DART Vote From a Park Cities Local
On May 2, Park Cities residents will decide whether to stay with DART. Nick Palles, a Highland Park local, explains how “you’ll be paying either way; a vote to stay is a vote to have a say.”
A lot of information has been going around about what sort of return on investment the Park Cities are getting out of DART, and I’m sure that all the numbers you’ve seen are correct. What I want to explain is why leaving DART is a poor strategic move for the Park Cities and will ultimately hurt us going forward.
You’ll be paying either way
The first thing I want you to consider is that DART is exclusively funded by sales tax. None of your property taxes are paying for DART. This means that in the Park Cities, it’s likely that a good chunk, if not the lion’s share, of DART funding is being paid for by people who do not live here. It also means that if you spend even one dollar in the city of Dallas or other DART member cities, you will still be paying to fund DART, whether or not the Park Cities are members.
What Leaving DART Will Cost
This brings me to my second point, which is what leaving DART will cost the Park Cities. DART is moving to a board structure where every single member city is guaranteed a seat on the DART board. Should the Park Cities both remain members, that’s two seats. Should we leave, we will essentially be giving up any influence or say in DART’s future operations and expansion plans, while still paying the taxes to fund the system with every purchase we make outside of the bubble.
Use it or not, DART is vital
The third item I want to address is that whether or not we in the Park Cities use DART, its success is still vital to our lifestyle and community. Whether we want it to or not, Dallas is growing, and much of that growth is happening right around our neighborhood. It’s the most desirable part of town; it’s a blessing. That said, without a rapid transit system, every single apartment building going up puts hundreds of new cars traveling around and through the neighborhood—and these developments are closing in around us. Many agree it’s worth continuing to fund and even taking an active role in working to improve DART as members of the Board for the benefit of less traffic, especially “cut-through” traffic, in and around the Park Cities.
Best Reason to Stay in DART
I grew up in Highland Park, and the absolute best part of my childhood was running around our beautiful and safe community with my friends. We would walk to school, the HP/UP pools, Weir’s to load up on candy, and HP Pharmacy for a shake and a grilled cheese. Because of the low traffic, we could even play flashlight tag on our block when it got dark. I hope that when I have kids, they can experience the same safe neighborhood without thousands of new cars flying through, trying to take a shortcut. This, to me, is the single best reason to stay in DART, even more so than whatever concessions and service improvements DART is working out with our city governments, which I know are generous.
All of this is to say, as you head to the polls this week and see the item regarding DART, I encourage you to vote to stay.
You’ll be paying either way; a vote to stay is a vote to have a say.
— Nick Palles, Park Cities local
Election Day is this Saturday, May 2nd 2026. Polls will be open from 7:00am to 7:00pm. Residents of the Town of Highland Park and the City of University Park can find a voting location from the lists below.
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Thank you for sharing this! I hadn't even thought about how, as you put it, they'll "pay either way." Really puts things in perspective.
Neighbors in HP and UP, please don't forget to vote this Saturday!
Well said.