Residents respond to Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr.’s State of the City Address

Little Rock, Arkansas – Frank Scott Jr., the mayor of Little Rock, made a number of announcements to improve the city’s capital, one of which is a second attempt to get a sales tax increase approved by voters.

The amount and duration of the sales tax have not been disclosed in any detail.

The Mayor’s last attempt to enact a sales tax was unsuccessful.

“So far it looks like we are moving in the right direction,” Little Rock resident, Whitley Holt said.

In his 2023 State of the City Address, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. emphasized the need of moving forward together.

He spoke about issues such as the Little Rock FORWARD sales tax.

“Little Rock FORWARD will revitalize our premiere public spaces like War Memorial park and Hindman park, expand our footprint at the little rock port to attract more residents, upgrade public safety facilities, technology, and equipment, and improve critical infrastructure for our cities residents,” Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said.

Residents of Little Rock expressed excitement over the improvements.

“I would just be excited to see some new additions so the kids can have a little more to do,” and “any improvements would be great,” Holt said.

“I would like more people and lights so that people can stay late,” Little Rock resident, Amrita Phapurel said.

After spending $2,000,000 on non-violence programs, crime reduction was a significant topic that was also brought up.

“Our most recent data shows that overall crime is down by 7 percent compared to the previous year, and violent crime is down nearly 13%,” Scott Jr. said.

“It makes me feel like a little safer because those statistics are coming down,” Little Rock resident, Brittany Garner said.

The forward growth in job expansion with things like Top Golf coming to the capital city was one of the last things he emphasized.

“Together, we have announced more than 9,000 jobs since 2019, 739 just last year alone,” Scott Jr. stated.

There are many issues that are high on the list of priorities for this year, but Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said he is eager to work with everyone to address them and move the city of Little Rock forward.