KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• City of Little Rock beginning month-long public awareness and education campaign—themed #LRCentProgress—to highlight accomplishments of new sales tax

• #LRCentProgress campaign will effectively take over the City of Little Rock’s social media and communications channels

• In September 2011, Little Rock voters overwhelmingly approved a 1-cent sales tax—the first in over 20 years.

• As of February 2014, approximately $93.2 million has been collected and more than $57.8 million has been spent to complete capital improvement projects and to purchase new apparatus, vehicles and equipment.

LITTLE ROCK – Today the City of Little Rock will begin a month-long public awareness and education campaign—themed #LRCentProgress—to highlight the progress and accomplishments of the City’s new sales tax.

In September 2011, Little Rock voters overwhelmingly approved a 1-cent sales tax—with 5/8-cent dedicated to operational expenses and 3/8-cent dedicated to fund capital upgrades. Prior to this, Little Rock’s sales tax rate had not increased in over 20 years. Today Little Rock’s sales tax rate of 1.5% falls in the middle among municipal sales tax rates in the State of Arkansas.

The Little Rock City Board compiled and passed Resolution 13343 that included a 10-year plan directing how the capital portion of the sales tax revenue would be spent. Now, two years after the City has begun receiving this revenue, how are those tax dollars being invested? Exactly has planned—and it's changing the face of Little Rock.

After the successful passage of the sales tax, the City of Little Rock established the Citizens Evaluation of the New Tax Committee (LR CENT Committee) to provide oversight and accountability ensuring that 100 percent of the revenues received by the City from the sales tax are expended as promised and indicated in Resolution 13343.

As of February 2014, approximately $93.2 million has been collected and more than $57.8 million has been spent to complete capital improvement projects—Fire Station 23, the 12th Street Station and dozens of miles of street resurfacing—and purchase new apparatus, vehicles and equipment.

The #LRCentProgress campaign will effectively take over the City of Little Rock’s social media and communications channels. It will include video interviews from City Manager Bruce T. Moore and Mayor Mark Stodola as well as each of the City’s Department Directors.

To be a part of #LRCentProgress click the links at the right of this webpage to join the conversation on our social media channels and watch LRTV on Comcast channel 11 and U-Verse channel 99. Stay tuned for exciting announcements to come throughout the #LRCentProgress campaign.