Mayor Frank Scott Jr. will campaign for a new penny sales tax in Little Rock in 2020, he announced at his State of the City address on Thursday.
The additional penny would help fund new recreation facilities at the city’s parks and an expansion and new exhibits at the zoo, Scott said, as well as public safety improvements, an economic development fund to recruit new businesses and universal early childhood education.
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“We need you to invest in a bold plan for our future,” Scott said at his address at Heifer Village in downtown Little Rock. “A single penny will further lift Little Rock.”
Little Rock’s sales tax rate is currently 9%, with 6.5% going to state, 1.5% going to the city, and 1% going to the county.
Charles Blake, the mayor’s chief of staff, said the administration hopes to make its pitch to voters before the fall and is planning to engage the community to see what residents want to money to be used for.
Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for the full story.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated the breakdown of the current tax rate.