City directors on Tuesday night approved about $2.1 million in cuts to Little Rock's budget for the remainder of 2019, with two changes to the mayor's initial proposal that preserve funding for the regional chamber of commerce and ensure that any city surpluses will go into reserves.
Mayor Frank Scott Jr. first proposed the cuts in May. Weeks of tense discussions followed, and city directors voted down the proposal last week after residents expressed concerns about the number of layoffs in the Parks and Recreation Department.
The voice vote Tuesday night was not unanimous. Joan Adcock, an at-large member of the board, could be heard voting no. But no roll-call vote was taken, so it was not immediately clear which members supported or opposed the ordinance as amended. Scott called for a 10-minute recess immediately after the vote.
Under the approved cuts, 44 city positions were eliminated, 31 of which are currently filled. Those employees were told that June 28 would be their last day.
The ordinance also means that two city golf courses will be closed and that the city's contributions to the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Museum of Discovery will decrease.
Scott said he appreciated the board's approval of the proposal.
"I know we made some tough decisions tonight, but we made the right decision," Scott said. "This will protect and advance the future of our city."
Kathleen Walker, the city's employment services manager, said before the vote that she was working with displaced employees by looking for vacancies in public waste, solid waste or the zoo that those employees could possibly fill.
Walker said she has asked those departments to freeze hiring until officials can place the employees whose positions were cut. She said there were slots where many of those employees could fit and that she was beginning to have conversations with the Little Rock Workforce Development Board to help others.
She added that delays in the budget discussion had been stressful for the employees who had waited to find out if their jobs would be cut.
"The unknown is very scary for a lot of those employees," Walker said.
Adcock said budget discussions had been stressful for the board also. She said she hoped that Walker could help employees find work at agencies such as the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field, Central Arkansas Water or the Water Reclamation Commission.
Though the city has not yet decided which two golf courses it will shut down, some residents spoke against the possible closure of the War Memorial and Hindman courses, which they said attract the most diverse golfers.
Two residents spoke against cuts at the Museum of Discovery.
Several residents who were a part of Think Big Little Rock, a group of millennials convened in 2016 to brainstorm strategies to improve the city, spoke in favor of repurposing the War Memorial course and having it serve as a central park for all kinds of people, not just golfers. Scott was also a member of Think Big Little Rock.
Lance Hines, who represents Ward 5 on the city board, made a motion to amend the proposed budget ordinance to cut less from the Chamber of Commerce. The original ordinance proposed cutting $50,000 from the chamber for the remainder of 2019 or $100,000 annually; Hines moved that the city cut $25,000 for the remainder of 2019 and $50,000 annually. The city has provided $300,000 to the chamber each year.
"I think it would be unwise based on the performance of the chamber," Hines said of the initial proposed cut, citing the chamber's recent work in getting firearms manufacturer CZ-USA to Little Rock.
Board member Gene Fortson seconded Hines' motion. It passed 6-4. Hines and Fortson were joined by Capi Peck, Doris Wright, Dean Kumpuris and Adcock in voting for the amendment. Erma Hendrix, Ken Richardson, Kathy Webb and B.J. Wyrick voted against it.
Webb, who represents Ward 3, made a motion to amend the proposed ordinance so that if the city's revenue exceeds its expenses, then the surplus will be put into the reserve fund. Hines seconded her motion, which passed. Along with Webb and Hines, Richardson, Peck, Wright, Kumpuris, Fortson and Wyrick voted for the amendment. Hendrix and Adcock were against it.
Looking forward, Scott said the next step will be to prepare the 2020 budget, taking into account concerns and ideas for generating revenue that the board had discussed. He said it would be a "participatory" budgeting process, where residents would give input before a budget proposal is made.
Metro on 06/05/2019
CORRECTION: Central Arkansas Water, the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field are budgeted and accounted for as separate entities from the city of Little Rock. An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated how those entities are funded.