Plano City Council received an overview of the city’s legislative priorities, which include advocating for reduced contributions to Dallas Area Rapid Transit and getting added to the list of eligible cities for qualified hotel projects.
The big picture
Council members received an update on a potential legislative agenda ahead of the 89th Legislature convening in 2025. City staff are expected to work with various stakeholders in the legislative process to further Plano's legislative priorities.
Andrew Fortune, Plano’s director of policy and government relations, said there are four areas of focus, including:
- Maintaining local control
- Addressing DART funding
- Getting Plano added to cities allowed to use qualified hotel project funding mechanisms
- Imposing stricter regulations on public facility corporations and housing finance corporations
Plano’s main goals for future DART funding include reducing the city’s contribution by a quarter-cent; creating a mobility program that would give cities more power in how their contributions are spent for local projects; fast tracking existing debt repayment; and lowering barriers of entry for new member cities, Fortune said.
Fortune added that city officials are hopeful to address issues with DART locally.
If approved for qualified hotel projects, Plano could get a 10-year rebate on hotel and motel occupancy taxes, mixed beverage taxes and sales taxes, as previously reported by Community Impact. Fortune said the city could use the funding mechanism for future qualifying hotel developments, such as building a hotel near the Plano Event Center.
What’s next?
Council is expected to consider adoption of the legislative priorities during an Oct. 28 meeting.
