Jasmine Stilwell, a McKinney Urban Transit District staff member, gave the board an overview of the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Regional Transit 2 study, which she said examines regional transit needs and funding options.

“The key findings of that study: sustainable funding is needed,” Stilwell said, adding that the report recommends policies to guide growth and make transit competitive with private vehicles in the region.

Stilwell told the board the roughly 400-page report recommends multiple avenues to increase regional transit capacity and funding, including county-level development impact fees, increased metropolitan planning organization transit-oriented development funding, more flexible contracting approaches, greater integration and interoperability between services, and enhanced knowledge-sharing and partnerships among agencies. She said the district already partners with Dallas Area Rapid Transit and that the study stresses such partnerships for regional connectivity.

Stilwell said staff will use the study to explore options to expand services, consider new modes of transit and work with member cities and community partners to identify collaborative funding and planning opportunities. She also said the district is reviewing ways to make creative use of existing funding sources.

No formal board action was taken on the study overview; Stilwell invited questions and said staff will continue exploring potential next steps with the region’s planning agencies.