Johnson County’s Bailey, Lewisville’s Jones also named officers
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins was elected chair of the Regional Transportation Council on Thursday and will lead the 45-member transportation policymaking body for the next year. Jenkins takes over from Fort Worth Mayor Pro Tem Gyna Bivens who chaired the RTC for the past 12 months.
Jenkins will preside over the RTC during the 89th Texas Legislature, which begins in January.
Before his election to lead the RTC, Jenkins served one-year terms as secretary and vice chair. Jenkins has served as Dallas County judge since 2011, the same year he was appointed to the RTC.
Johnson County Commissioner Rick Bailey was elected vice chair for 2024-2025 after serving the previous year as secretary. Bailey was appointed to the RTC in July 2022. Lewisville Councilmember Brandon Jones will assume the duties of secretary for the next year.
The RTC includes local elected or appointed officials from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and representatives from the region’s transportation providers. As the transportation policymaking body for the 12-county Dallas-Fort Worth area, the RTC oversees transportation planning for the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country, which has a current population of more than 8 million people.
The RTC guides the development of roadway, rail and bicycle-pedestrian plans and programs; allocates transportation funds; and recommends projects to the Texas Transportation Commission for other programs. The policymaking body also ensures transportation services are coordinated throughout the region and the metropolitan area complies with federal air quality standards.
As the transportation policymaking body for one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country, the RTC often has taken an innovative approach to moving people to ensure that as the population continues to grow, the transportation system can meet the demand. High-speed rail is one current example. The North Central Texas Council of Governments is studying a potential high-speed rail line that could connect Fort Worth, Arlington and Dallas to the planned Dallas-to-Houston line.
NCTCOG also recently kicked off Regional Transit 2.0, an effort intended to help transportation managers, board members and elected officials develop a next generation transit system for a region whose population is expected to eclipse 11 million within two decades. Additionally, the public and community engagement process for the next long-range transportation plan, Mobility 2050, is underway, and the RTC is expected to take action on it next year.
The new officers will serve in their positions through June 2025.
