Little Rock sales tax vote fails

A proposed one cent city sales tax proposed by the Little Rock Board of Directors and supported by Mayor Frank Scott failed on Tuesday (Nov. 5).

Little Rock voters were given the choice to pass or fail a 5/8ths of a cent sales tax for capital improvement projects. The tax would have sunset after 10 years. A second proposal provided a vote on a 3/8th of a cent sales tax for general operations that did not have an expiration date.

The 5/8ths of a cent sales tax failed by a 59.6 to 40.4% margin. The 3/8ths of a cent sales tax was defeated by a 63.2 to 36.8% margin.

Little Rock currently pay a sales tax rate of 8.625%, with 1.125% going to the city, 1% to Pulaski County and 6.5% to the state.

The two tax proposals would have raised around $650 million over a decade, according to city officials.

$294.75 million would have been dedicated to parks; $137 million would have been dedicated to infrastructure, such as streets and bridges; $113 million would have been steered to public safety; $30 million to the Port of Little Rock; and $17 million to general capital improvements.