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Council approves Cotton Belt resolution
Photo courtesy of DART -- The 62-mile Cotton Belt rail is planned to span 13 cities and three counties from Fort Worth to Collin County. The Plano City Council approved a resolution to ask the legislature for a special district to pursue a public-private partnership for the project Monday night.
By Conner Hammett, chammett@starlocalnews.com
The Plano City Council approved a resolution at its Monday meeting to ask state lawmakers to create a special district along the 62-mile Cotton Belt corridor.
The special district, which would comprise parts of 13 cities, is necessary to allow a single-government entity to enter into a public-private partnership, the chosen means of financing the planning and building of the Cotton Belt Regional Passenger Rail Service.
City Manager Bruce Glasscock told the council that while the city has received a draft piece of legislation, the resolution only indicates interest in continuing to pursue the creation of a Municipal Management District.
"[This agreement] does not indicate that the city approves the legislation or supports that specific legislation; only the fact that you want it to go to the next step," he said.
Plano joins Richardson, Addison, Coppell and DART in approving the resolution, which will be brought to other cities in the coming weeks.
The last Cotton Belt-related resolution came before the council at its Dec. 10 meeting. That document designated the North Texas Council of Governments as the representative for Plano and other cities along the Cotton Belt corridor in efforts to pursue public-private partnerships for the project.
The Cotton Belt Rail corridor is planned to extend from Wylie to Fort Worth through Tarrant, Dallas and Collin counties. The COG's efforts toward public-private partnerships are hoped to see the project finished up to 25 years ahead of schedule, COG officials have said.
For information on the Cotton Belt rail corridor, visit dart.org/about/expansion/cottonbelt.asp.
The special district, which would comprise parts of 13 cities, is necessary to allow a single-government entity to enter into a public-private partnership, the chosen means of financing the planning and building of the Cotton Belt Regional Passenger Rail Service.
City Manager Bruce Glasscock told the council that while the city has received a draft piece of legislation, the resolution only indicates interest in continuing to pursue the creation of a Municipal Management District.
"[This agreement] does not indicate that the city approves the legislation or supports that specific legislation; only the fact that you want it to go to the next step," he said.
Plano joins Richardson, Addison, Coppell and DART in approving the resolution, which will be brought to other cities in the coming weeks.
The last Cotton Belt-related resolution came before the council at its Dec. 10 meeting. That document designated the North Texas Council of Governments as the representative for Plano and other cities along the Cotton Belt corridor in efforts to pursue public-private partnerships for the project.
The Cotton Belt Rail corridor is planned to extend from Wylie to Fort Worth through Tarrant, Dallas and Collin counties. The COG's efforts toward public-private partnerships are hoped to see the project finished up to 25 years ahead of schedule, COG officials have said.
For information on the Cotton Belt rail corridor, visit dart.org/about/expansion/cottonbelt.asp.
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