Friends, 

We have hosted community meetings in four of Little Rock's seven wards so far this month, and you have made it clear you want the City of Little Rock to invest in the priorities and projects that re-energize our City and allow us to reach our potential as a catalyst for the new South. 

Our one-percent sales tax proposal puts an emphasis on our intentional efforts toward safer streets and stronger neighborhoods, while making transformational investments in the kinds of quality-of-life amenities attractive to residents and visitors alike. 

At our community meetings, we go into detailed discussions about the proposal and the need for an additional investment in our City that is expected to generate $650 million over 10 years. Even with a modest increase, our sales tax rates will remain lower than or competitive with many other municipalities in the state and region.

You are invited to join us today (Monday, May 20) at 6 p.m. for our Ward 6 community meeting at The Centre at University Park, 6401 W. 12th St. Everyone is welcome, whether or not they reside in Ward 6. After today, we will host two other community meetings later next week. Each meeting starts at 6 p.m.

Here is the remaining schedule:

• Monday, May 20, Ward 6: The Centre at University Park, 6401 W. 12th St.
• Wednesday, May 29, Ward 3: Saint Mark Baptist Church, 5722 W. 12th St.
• Thursday, May 30, Ward 7:  Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, 5300 Stagecoach Road

Our commitment to supporting the connection between potential and opportunity is demonstrated over and over again through our small business development efforts. Through programs like BUILD Academy and its Spanish-language counterpart Emprende, we empower and equip entrepreneurs with the tools and resources they need to succeed in a competitive business environment.

Our most recent cohorts of both classes graduated last week. We had 27 small business owners complete this spring's BUILD course (BUILD stands for Businesses United In Leadership Development.) There were 24 graduates of Emprende.

These business development programs help entrepreneurs on the path to success by providing insight and training on almost every aspect of business. The intent of the programs is to help level the playing field and build economic equity for small business owners from traditionally underserved and underrepresented communities. 

Each week for 12 weeks, participants met for two-hour sessions, each focused on a different aspect of operating a small business, from foundations and finances to operations and marketing.

We are especially excited for these new graduates to put their business skills in action on Wednesday, May 22, with a Pitch Competition. The competition is at 5:30 p.m. at the Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave. 

At the Pitch Competition, participants from both BUILD and Emprende will have an opportunity to pitch their ideas to potential investors, with cash prizes available. The public is invited and encouraged to attend this free event and hear from some of the entrepreneurs that are enhancing Little Rock's small business ecosystem.

Small businesses are the backbone of our city, and BUILD and Emprende offer access for entrepreneurs to build a foundation upon which they can grow their businesses to their fullest potentials.

Our City is committed to sustainable practices and the long-term and short-term solutions that protect our planet for future generations. We recently re-opened our Green Station at a new location, 2000 S. Thayer St., and we amended our residential recycling contract so that residents may more easily recycle glass containers. This is in addition to our major sustainability goals of powering City offices with 100 percent clean energy and having EVs make up 50 percent of our automobile fleet by 2030.

This ongoing commitment is also seen in our quarterly Little Rock Recycles Day, which returns on Saturday, June 1. 

Residents can bring recyclable materials free-of-charge to the event, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon at the Little Rock Zoo's east parking lot. At Little Rock Recycles Day, safely dispose of electronic waste, glass, plastic bags and documents for shredding.

The quarterly recycling event is hosted by the City of Little Rock Sustainability Office, the Little Rock Zoo and Keep Little Rock Beautiful. We hope to see you there as we all do our part for a more sustainable, greener Little Rock!

• The Little Rock Board of Directors will meet Tuesday, May 21, at 6 p.m. at The Centre at University Park, 6401 W. 12th St. All board meetings are livestreamed on the City of Little Rock's Facebook and YouTube pages. To view the agenda for Tuesday's meeting, click here. 
• As noted earlier, we are hosting a community meeting today (Monday, May 20) to discuss the sales tax proposal and seek resident input. The meeting is in Ward 6 at The Centre at University Park, and it begins at 6 p.m. All residents are invited to attend any meeting, regardless of whether they reside in that ward.
•  The City's Public Works Department will host an open-forum public meeting today (Monday, May 20) at 6 p.m. at Dunbar Community Center, 1001 W. 16th St. The purpose of the meeting is to present plans for sidewalk improvements on Bishop Street and drainage improvements along East 39th Street, both in Ward 1. 
• The Parks and Recreation Department invites residents to the Ozark Pavilion at Riverfront Park, 400 President Clinton Ave., for Dancing at Dusk on Thursday, May 23 at 6 p.m.  All ages are welcome for the life music and dancing featuring the Southwest Steppers. The event is free.
• City offices will be closed on Monday, May 27, in observance of Memorial Day. Normal sanitation and recycling schedules will be pushed back one day next week because of the holiday.