A vote for jobs
Sales-tax vote will Rebuild the Rock
The citizens of Little Rock are charged with making an important decision in the sales- tax election on Sept. 14. I hope all will take the time to learn exactly what is at stake in the election and weigh the pros and cons as we cast our votes.
In deciding how to vote, it is necessary to examine the projects the city board intends to fund with our tax dollars and, equally important, to look back at the past to determine the city’s ability to deliver results with previous tax money.
The Port of Little Rock was established by the city of Little Rock in 1959 to “create high-paying jobs for the city of Little Rock.” In the 1960s, the citizens of Little Rock voted for a $3 million dollar bond supporting the port, and by 1970, the Port of Little Rock had attracted its first industries and jobs to the community.
In 1983, the citizens approved another bond in the amount of $2.5 million to fund the slackwater harbor. This public investment allowed the port to continue to grow, and by 2004, it consisted of more than 1,200 acres with more than 20 businesses, employing approximately 2,000 people. In 2011, the citizens of Little Rock again invested in the port and approved a capital sales tax that included $10 million for the port to expand its real estate holdings. Using those funds, the port acquired approximately 2,000 acres of land with a value of over $17 million today.
With support from the community, the Port of Little Rock is now more than 5,000 acres in size with more than 44 businesses that employ more than 7,000 people. It is a major employment hub that contributes millions of dollars a year to the local economy. Throughout the last decade, more than $2 billion in private capital has been invested in this community because of the Port of Little Rock.
Looking forward to the decision facing voters, the “Rebuild the Rock” sales-tax initiative will invest $30 million into the port during the next 10 years. These funds will allow the port to expand its real estate, improve infrastructure, finalize a supersite—unlike any other in the region—and remain competitive in its efforts to attract industry from around the globe. This investment from the community will allow the Port of Little Rock to become the best inland port in America and double the employment opportunities in the port for Little Rock citizens over the next decade.
If you build it, they will come. When selecting sites for projects, economic developers look for many things. First, is there available land? With Rebuild the Rock, we will have a 1,000-plusacre supersite. Second, does the land have the necessary infrastructure in place? Rebuild the Rock will provide the funds to install and upgrade existing infrastructure like water, sewer, and electricity.
Finally, does the surrounding community have a quality of life that our future employees deserve? Rebuild the Rock makes substantial investments from early child care to city parks. These investments are not just mere luxuries; they are necessities when competing for new factories and businesses looking to invest.
This plan has been vetted and approved by our locally elected city board of directors. If passed, the responsibility of execution of the funds for the port will be paced in the experienced hands of the Little Rock Port Authority, led by its citizen board.
Through collaboration, transparency, and diligence, a vote for the Rebuild the Rock initiative is a vote for more jobs in Little Rock. A vote for the Rebuild the Rock initiative will provided the necessary investments in our children, our infrastructure, and our community that will ensure our future prosperity.