We published an article on Little Rock Mayor, Frank Scott, Jr., sales tax proposal a couple of weeks ago. At the time, we mentioned that the city had little or no plan for spending the $600 million this plan would bring to the city government. Since then the mayor has supplied a one-page framework for the spending (below). According to city officials, this is a work in progress as the city gets input from citizens through Ward meetings.
Drawing your attention to the Parks/Quality of Life section of the plan (lines 7 through 24) you’ll see a total in this area of $326,750,000 or over half of the total budget of $600,000,000. A further breakdown shows that 78.58% or $256,750,000 of this budget is going to Parks.
- Parks – $256,750,000
- Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts – $30,000,000
- Little Rock Zoo – $40,000,000
Line 10 shows $136,000,000 going toward an Indoor and Outdoor Sports Complex. This is the plan for War Memorial Park. Line 8 puts an additional $15,000,000 in War Memorial Park. Combined this leaves the rest of the park system $105,750,000. We have not seen how this $151,000,000 complex will look or function.
The 15-acre park referenced in line 15 is the new park that has been discussed going in under the new I-30 in place of the old 3rd Street onramp. You may remember StudioMain conducting a contest for what this park might look like.
This list continues to be updated. Go to the Mayor’s page to see the latest update. There are two Ward meetings left:
- Monday, 6 pm, Aug. 28: Fellowship Bible Church, 1401 Kirk Road (Ward 5)
- Wednesday, 6 pm, Aug. 30: Christ Little Rock Church, 315 S. Hughes St. (Ward 3)
If you can’t make it to one of the public Ward meetings, concerns should be forwarded to City Directors, or contacting Mayor’s office.
Since this plan was updated (8/22/2023), the mayor has made the following announcements.
Mayor Frank Scott Jr. announced at a community forum on Thursday evening that his sales-tax proposal will be split into two parts. A five-eighths percent (0.625%) tax would fund capital improvements and sunset after 10 years. Meanwhile, a three-eighths percent (0.375%) tax would fund public safety, parks, and infrastructure spending, and remain on the books permanently, according to Scott. This will allow money to continue to be provided for ongoing maintenance of the parks indefinitely.
