LITTLE ROCK — Little Rock will start on drainage and street repaving projects for 2012 as soon as funds from the recently increased city sales tax start hitting the city’s coffers in March.
The Board of Directors on Tuesday approved a list of projects for this year that require minimal engineering and little to no right-ofway or easement purchases. The board also appointed 10 members to the newly formed Citizen Evaluation of New Tax Committee, which will be tasked with leading discussions to choose priorities for the second phase of capital improvements to be funded by the tax revenue.
City Manager Bruce Moore said he drew up the list of ready projects to make sure the city doesn’t miss out on the 2012 construction season. The list splits sales tax funding among the city’s seven wards, spending between $505,000 and $590,000 in each.
Revenue for those projects comes from part of the 1 percentage-point sales tax increase passed by voters in September. The increase brought the city’s sales tax to 1.5 percent, and the total sales tax paid by residents to 8.5 percent including 6 percent for the state and 1 percent for Pulaski County.
Three-eighths of a percentage point will be dedicated to capital improvements and the remaining five-eighths of a percentage point will be dedicated to operating expenses. The capital improvements tax will expire in 2022.
The city plans to complete about $1 million in drainage projects and about $3.8 million in resurfacing and street repairs with the capital improvements portion in 2012. Moore said an additional $570,000 of revenue will be set aside as a contingency, as well as $50,000 set aside for speed humps and $490,000 for traffic loops throughout the city.
The following projects were included:
Ward 1 — Drainage: 13th and Gaines streets, Allis Street and Wright Avenue; resurfacing: 12th, Third, 17th and Chester streets.
Ward 2 — Drainage: Windamere and Walpole drives; re- surfacing: Geyer Springs Road and the east half of South University Avenue.
Ward 3 — Drainage: Beechwood Street; resurfacing: H Street, Pine Street and West Markham Street.
Ward 4 — Drainage: Summerdale Lane and Hinson Road; resurfacing: Hinson Road and Rodney Parham Road.
Ward 5 — Drainage: Westchester subdivision and Chevaux Court; resurfacing: Napa Valley Drive and two sections of Chenal Parkway.
Ward 6 — Drainage: Sunnymeade Drive and 44th and Potter streets; resurfacing: South Shackleford Road, the west half of South University Avenue and Marlyn Drive.
Ward 7 — Drainage: Chicot Road and Angel Court; resurfacing: Vimy Ridge Road, Mabelvale Pike, Sardis Road and Otter Creek Parkway.
In addition to the immediate needs for 2012, the board also discussed proposed plans to divvy up money collected for the next nine years.
One plan suggests that the city reserve 10 percent of the anticipated revenue to be spent in the oldest districts of the city including Wards 1, 2, 6 and 7 — which would include most of Little Rock south of Interstate 630 stretching through downtown to the city’s eastern limit.
Another suggestion introduced Tuesday was reserving 10 percent of the revenue for a “quick action” fund that would give city staff funding to allocate to emergency situations or high priority situations as they occur. The remaining revenue would be divided evenly among the wards for planned projects.
The city plans to hold meetings in the wards in March to get resident input on drainage and other project needs to be placed on that construction schedule. The citizen evaluation committee will also look at the capital improvement project priorities.
The 12 people appointed to the committee Tuesday include Co-Chairmen Sybil Jordan Hampton and Gary Smith as well as Chrystal Gray, Anika Whitfield, Steve Strickland, Kyle Demitt, Peter Mckinney O’Conor, Masheerah Tharpe, Don Shellabarger, Charles Blake, Khayyam Eddings and Troy Laha.
“Part of the committee’s mission is going to be to provide guidance for the long-term period,” At-Large Director Gene Fortson said. “We separated the balance of the projects from the 2012 allocations for that reason. It’s going to be an ongoing discussion.”
Arkansas, Pages 7 on 02/09/2012