LITTLE ROCK – In a move intended to ensure that all employees of the City of Little Rock earn a living wage, the Little Rock Board of Directors on Tuesday adopted a $15-per-hour minimum wage for all nonuniform, full-time city employees.

The increase came by way of an amendment to the 2022 budget, and it makes Little Rock one of just a handful of cities across the country to have adopted a $15 minimum wage for municipal employees. With the ordinance from the Board, passed with an emergency clause to take immediate effect, the change will impact almost 100 employees. More experienced employees in affected positions already at $15 per hour will also be adjusted upward based on equity policy.

“Improving quality of life is a foundational aspiration for my administration, and that applies not just to people who live in the City of Little Rock, but to those who work for the City of Little Rock as well,” said Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. “I want to thank to Board for their approval of this measure, which will have an immediate and tangible impact on some of our most financially vulnerable people, bringing them up to livable wage and making sure our City remains a competitive employer.”

The change required nearly $300,000 to be set aside for additional salary and benefits. That included $120,000 in the general fund, nearly $130,000 in the street fund and $48,000 in the waste disposal fund. The departments most widely impacted included the Little Rock Zoo, Parks and Recreation and Public Works.

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