Scott sets session
for virus matters
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. will hold a virtual town hall meeting at noon Friday to answer residents' questions about the city's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 30-minute meeting will air on the city's Facebook page and YouTube channel, as well as on cable access Channel 11.
Residents may submit questions about "any issue related to covid-19" by clicking the "Virtual Town Hall" button at littlerock.gov/covid19, the city said in a news release last week.
Virtual meetings
allowed for boards
The Little Rock Board of Directors on Wednesday approved a resolution that allows city boards and commissions to meet virtually.
Last month, the city suspended all board and commission meetings aside from the Board of Directors and independent boards of agencies that include Central Arkansas Water, Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, the Metropolitan Housing Alliance, and the Little Rock Municipal Airport Commission.
The Board of Directors had previously approved an ordinance to allow their members to participate in meetings electronically for discussion and voting purposes. Many city directors participated by video chat at Tuesday's agenda meeting and at a special meeting Wednesday, when they approved a similar ordinance for boards and commissions.
Boards that will be now able to meet virtually include the Little Rock Planning Commission.
Those boards and commissions do not have a minimum monthly meeting requirement. City Manager Bruce Moore, when presenting the ordinance last week, said some might not meet again until May.
2 libraries offering
curbside service
The Central Arkansas Library System is offering limited curbside service at two Little Rock locations, the system announced last week.
All Central Arkansas Library System branches are closed to the public through April 19.
Patrons may pick up any item already put on hold and ready for pickup at either the Main Library at 100 Rock St. or Terry Library at 2015 Napa Valley Drive. The item must be on hold at the branch where the customer is picking it up; items put on hold at other branch libraries will not be available. New items not already on hold are not eligible to be held for future pickup.
Cardholders may call (501) 918-3000 or email maincurbside@cals.org for the Main Library or call (501) 228-0129 or email terrycurbside@cals.org for the Terry Library to request items available from each library's collection. Staff members will confirm that the item is available and can be checked out.
Terry Library is also offering a mobile printing service for curbside pickup with the first 10 pages free.
The two branches' curbside service hours are Mondays through Saturdays from 2-6 p.m.
More details about the pickup procedure can be found at cals.org/curbside-service/.
Jericho Way halts
clothing donations
Jericho Way Day Resource Center will not receive clothing donations until further notice amid the coronavirus pandemic, the homeless services provider said Tuesday on Facebook.
The center will continue to accept food but requires that donors call ahead, the post reads.
Jericho Way is still open, but with "very limited" access to the building. All meals are served in to-go containers, and open-air tents are available for people who want to eat outside. There is also an outdoor charging station for phones, according to the facility's social media page.
City bureau offers
flexibility on taxes
The Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau announced last week that it will offer flexibility to permittees in the Advertising and Promotion Commission tax remittance process because of the strain on local hotels and restaurants from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Advertising and Promotion Commission, the bureau's governing body, levies a 2% hotel and restaurant tax on establishments in the city. It will offer the following relief options:
• An application for relief from penalty and interest for the taxable periods covering February, March, April and May.
• An application for deferment and installation payment agreement that can defer, for three months, payment due for taxes owed for the taxable periods covering February, March, April and May.
Both applications are available online at littlerock.com/tax. All permittees are expected to continue to file their Advertising and Promotion Commission tax returns each month, even if their gross receipts are substantially less than normal or zero.
"While LRCVB and the Little Rock A&P Commission cannot waive the obligation to remit the tax by lodging and prepared food permittees, they are very sensitive to the fact that local prepared food and beverage retailers as well as lodging retailers are facing extreme challenges," the bureau said in a news release.
Permittees with questions can contact Kasey Summerville at (501) 255-3317 or ksummerville@littlerock.com.
SundayMonday on 04/05/2020