GRIMES, Iowa — For several years, Des Moines’ only form of public transportation has been battling a funding shortfall.
While some communities in the metro are increasing their property taxes to help fund DART, others are looking for a way out: The Grimes City Council voted Tuesday to withdraw their DART membership.
The city of Grimes has always viewed their DART membership with a critical eye. Over the years, fewer and fewer residents are utilizing the service.
"The cost-benefit analysis just doesn't… it just doesn't make any sense," Grimes City Administrator Jake Anderson said.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars in the form of property taxes from Grimes residents go directly to the service. Currently, the city contributes $645,919 per year to DART, according to DART staff.
"When the commission is faced with making a decision to raise taxes and or reduce services, it just compounds that problem and leads us to a place where we're questioning that again," Anderson told Local 5.
A Grimes resident with a $200,000 home will contribute about $61 to DART this year, which is about 1-2% of the total amount of property taxes paid in each household. But city staff feel that those funds could be put to better use.
Anderson says that the council is considering at least three different areas to allocate the funds.
“First will be straight up property tax relief for our residents, a reduction in property taxes. They may choose to use some of that for additional infrastructure investment," he added.
The decision isn't one without tradeoffs. One concern comes from Paratransit riders, who use DART to travel to and from work, appointments, and other places around town.
According to DART, at least seven Grimes residents have used Paratransit over the last year, with one individual using Paratransit twice a week to get to dialysis treatments.
To address the potential issue, city staff will work with Grimes Volunteer Support Services, which offers local transportation to those who need it.
"It's really important to the city of Grimes, to the mayor and council that we find alternative service for the residents using Paratransit," Anderson said, adding that the city will invest with GVSS or find a third party alternative.
Although DART is under-utilized in Grimes, DART emphasizes the importance of the service in other communities.
"Grimes is withdrawing, but we're gonna continue to work together as a region to provide transportation services that are so badly needed by our residents," said Russ Trimble, DART commission chair.
Now that the city has withdrawn from DART, residents could see a decrease in their property taxes after the city’s contract with the service ends in July of 2025.