Entering the final stretch of a tax election campaign, North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith said he's tried his best to stay on message during 37 speeches he's given so far to neighborhood associations, business leaders, civic groups and at public meetings.
The 1 percentage-point increase in North Little Rock's sales tax up for a vote Aug. 8 would be divided, with one-half percent as a permanent tax to solidify funding for city operations. The other one-half percent would be in place for five years to make upgrades to city fire stations, the police and courts building, and streets and drainage. Early voting begins Aug. 1.
Despite Smith's efforts, the occasional distraction outside of a campaign can rile up emotions on social media and sometimes cause challenges in keeping voters' attention on the city's long-term goals.
Two issues festered in the past week, both involving large neighborhoods opposed to city planning items.
About 30 people from the Cypress Crossing and Willow Beach neighborhoods attended last week's Planning Commission meeting in opposition to having a sand storage site behind some of their residences. The commission voted it down without dissent, but the issue can still go to the North Little Rock City Council, with former Mayor Patrick Hays representing the applicant before a council he long presided over.
In addition, Lakewood neighborhood residents led an outcry on social media over a rezoning proposal to allow a gas station and convenience store on North Hills Boulevard. The uproar caused the postponement of a public hearing on the rezoning until the Planning Commission's next meeting Aug. 8, the same day as the tax election.
"Could a one-time event overtake our message?" city spokesman Nathan Hamilton asked rhetorically last week. "Short-term, it's possible for voters' attention to be focused on other things, but long-term, people want what's good for the community. Safe homes, better streets and to be proud of North Little Rock."
Smith has said that without the tax increase, the city would face deep cuts and most likely layoffs that could include police officers and firefighters.
"Those [distractions] are short-term events and daily events, and what we're dealing with in the campaign is the future of our city," Smith said. "What we want to do will make a difference in what happens in the next 15 to 20 years in the city."
At previous public meetings, with two to go, some residents have questioned whether the city utilizes its current funds as economically as it could.
"The city certainly can operate on a lot less money," James Green of the Sherman Park Neighborhood Association said last month.
At a meeting in the Lakewood area, Cal Dring told Smith: "No matter how much we raise it [the tax], Mr. Mayor, it's never enough."
When Smith said, in answer to a question, that North Little Rock's annual share to operate the Rock Region Metro streetcars is more than $300,000, a woman in the Lakewood audience mouthed, "Oh, my God."
The need to explain the city's financial needs and obligations -- 75 percent of its general fund budget goes to personnel -- and what the city's future could hold without the increased tax revenue, is why, Smith said, he's "willing to stand in front of these crowds."
"My goal from the beginning was to reach as many people as I possibly can and to show them the facts," he said. "If I can get in front of enough people, I can explain our situation. The only time people will vote 'no' on an issue for no apparent reason is when they don't understand it or when it's confusing. My goal is to make sure that they understand all of the facts and that they're not confused."
Issues that concern North Little Rock voters don't even have to be confined to the city limits. The July 1 nightclub shooting in neighboring Little Rock that injured 28 people has been a topic for North Little Rock residents since then, Hamilton said.
The North Little Rock Police Department is fully staffed with 184 sworn officers right now, Hamilton said. Not losing any officers to other cities and being able to compete in pay to recruit the best applicants are some of the reasons the city has increased its employee salaries in each of the past two years, he said.
"At almost every neighborhood meeting since the shooting, people are asking the mayor about crime," Hamilton said. "We have to offer the pay that recruits the best individuals to the Police Department. We have to be in the market. We're fully staffed now, and we don't want that to change."
Smith agreed. "This is not a good time to make cuts in our Police Department," he said. "I get nothing but 'Amens!' when I make that comment.
I think everybody agrees that everything is going great right now," as far as public safety and city services are concerned, Smith said. "Let's don't change it."
Metro on 07/16/2017