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Friends,
We are just days away from CapitalCon, Little Rock’s signature financial literacy experience. Join us from Thursday, Nov. 6 to Saturday, Nov. 8, for this exciting, inspiring and free event designed to help you build wealth and knowledge no matter where you are on your financial journey.
Join us at the Statehouse Convention Center in Downtown Little Rock to hear financial experts, participate in engaging workshops and take away strategies that can foster economic opportunity across Arkansas’s capital city. CapitalCon, “Welcome to Wealth Street,” is open to everyone, whether you just want to learn more about finance, you are a small business owner or you are a seasoned veteran at the investment game.
We will have vendors and resource tables available as we work with every resident who attends to make sure they are confident in their financial literacy and goals. Our lineup of speakers and programs make this a can’t-miss event for anyone who is building a strong financial future through investing, financial planning, estate planning, or home ownership. Best of all, all these resources and expert content are free!
RSVP here for this free event.
And, if you would like to help us make CapitalCon even more of a success, we are looking for volunteers to assist with a variety of events and activities each day. Register here to volunteer for either our Thursday evening kickoff or our Friday and Saturday sessions.
I appreciate you!
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| | | City Moves Forward with District Courts Building
After Little Rock voters approved a plan for a new building to house Little Rock’s district courts, the Board of Directors last week agreed to purchase property on West Capitol Avenue to house the City’s criminal, traffic, and environmental courts.
The Board authorized purchase of the existing, vacant building at 525 W. Capitol Ave. for $2.595 million. Over the next several months, we will begin the design phase for the structure before renovations begin next year.
The district courts project was authorized by residents in the 2022 Renew Little Rock bond measure.
The courts have run out of space at the current courts building at 600 W. Markham, near City Hall. With the purchase of the new building, we are focused on helping revitalize the Capitol Avenue corridor Downtown. Our district courts will be in a convenient location near the federal courts, with plenty of available parking nearby.
While we had initially planned to construct a new building at the vacant site of the former police headquarters on Markham Street, our team determined that doing so would be cost-prohibitive. Because of the slope of that lot, a new building would have required additional work. That, coupled with higher construction costs, would have unnecessarily burdened Little Rock taxpayers.
Fortunately, the 40,000-square-foot building on West Capitol meets the size requirements for the courts, and the building is in good condition with a recently updated HVAC system.
Because a courthouse has a unique layout, we needed flexibility to repurpose a structure to meet the courts’ needs, and this property’s interior allows for that opportunity.
We will provide you more updates in coming months about the project and its benefits to our residents and visitors. |
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| | | City, Police Agree on Milestone Extension to Contract |
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The City of Little Rock recently reached another significant milestone in demonstrating its long-term commitment to public safety and to the first responders who protect and serve our residents. City negotiators and a negotiating team with the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police agreed to extend the LRPD contract through 2027.
With the contract extension, Little Rock police will receive guaranteed pay raises of 5 percent each year in 2025, 2026, and 2027. These raises will increase starting pay for a rookie officer to almost $61,000 a year, which will make our officers part of the highest-paid police force in the State of Arkansas. In addition to salary, new officers receive a $10,000 signing bonus.
With this contract extension, LRPD officers are guaranteed salary certainty and it raises the level of economic mobility for the men and women critical to our holistic crime reduction strategy. The most up-to-date LRPD statistics show overall crime is down 26 percent over the past five years, and violent crime has fallen by 20 percent over that same period.
As I stated in our announcement of this extension last week, it is our obligation to take care of the public safety personnel who put their lives on the line to serve Little Rock’s residents and guests. I appreciate the FOP and the Black Police Officers Association for their efforts.
The police contract extension comes at the same time that the firefighter contract was extended through 2027. Under that contract, Little Rock firefighters will also receive 5 percent pay increases each year.
Little Rock FOP President Ronnie Morgan said this about the extended LRPD contract: “This practice of negotiating salaries, benefits, and working conditions gives certainty to employees and ensures the Department is competitive in the hiring process. We thank Mayor Scott, his administration, and the Little Rock Board of Directors for their commitment to the men and women who work every day to make this City safe for residents and visitors. With the extension agreed to over the summer, this marks the largest contract in my over 30 years as a member of the Department. The negotiating team for the City and the FOP Negotiations Committee did an outstanding job putting this together.” |
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| Pictured is the LRPD Recruit Class 110 Commencement Ceremony in 2024. New LRPD officers receive a $10,000 signing bonus, and officers are guaranteed raises through 2027 after a contract agreement was reached. |
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| A Primer on Board Procedures
At last week’s Board of Directors meeting, we received some questions about the procedures used to adopt measures. We are committed to making sure all our residents understand the process, which can sometimes be complicated, especially for those unfamiliar with municipal government.
Here’s a rundown of some things to know: The Board of Directors is made up of seven directors from each of Little Rock’s seven wards, three at-large directors, and the Mayor. The Mayor is chairperson of the Board, and the Mayor may only cast a vote in the event of a 5-5 tie. An ordinance is a permanent action, like a change to the law, while a resolution is generally an authorization for the City to take a one-time action, like agreeing to a contract. Both ordinances and resolutions require six votes for approval, and that is irrespective of how many Directors are in attendance at a meeting. So, even if just six directors attend a certain meeting, any ordinance or resolution would still need six votes to pass. By law, ordinances must be read three different times before a final vote. Often, in order to make the process more efficient, the Board will read the ordinance three times at the same meeting. To do that, it takes a supermajority of eight Directors to suspend the rules. Some ordinances contain emergency clauses, which mean the measure will go into effect immediately. An emergency clause needs eight votes to pass.
We are always available to answer questions about Board procedures or other City-related matters. Just send us an email at info@littlerock.gov and we may answer your question in a future Inside The Rock. |
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| | | Here’s a quick look at what’s going on this week in the City of Little Rock:
Tuesday, October 28: The Little Rock Board of Directors will set the agenda for its next regular meeting at 4 p.m. in the Board Room at City Hall, 500 W. Markham St. All board meetings are open to the public, and all meetings are livestreamed on the City of Little Rock’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
Wednesday, October 29: The Little Rock Sustainability Commission will hold its monthly meeting in the Community Room at Centennial Bank, 1301 Rebsamen Park Road. The Sustainability Commission promotes environmental and economic health in the City of Little Rock.
Thursday, October 30: The Residents Academy, an initiative of the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Programs, continues at 5:30 p.m. at the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 3805 W. 12th St. The program is for residents who want to learn more about the city’s code enforcement team, its policies, and procedures.
Saturday, November 1: Join our Parks and Recreation Department and Department of Community Programs for our third annual Ward 6 Kickin’ It at Kanis block party. The event at Kanis Park is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a 3-on-3 basketball tournament that tips off at 9 a.m. |
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