City CFO set to retire in June

Lenehan wants to complete 2023 budget, 2022 audit first

The city of Little Rock’s longtime chief financial officer plans to retire at the end of June, she confirmed on Monday.

Sara Lenehan, 63, has been contemplating retirement for a while, and her husband retired a few years ago, she said in an email.

“I began discussing my plans with the Mayor and City Manager earlier this year,” Lenehan wrote. “I wanted to facilitate completion of the 2023 Budget and the 2022 audit and to provide adequate time to find a replacement.”

Sept. 7, 2022, marked her 18th anniversary as a city employee, Lenehan said. She was named finance director in 2008.

As the city’s chief financial officer, Lenehan serves as the primary staff liaison to the mayor and city board with regard to Little Rock’s roughly $300 million annual budget. She delivers periodic financial reports to the board that include figures on revenue as well as the tally of employee vacancies.

The news of Lenehan’s impending retirement comes as the city board is preparing to dive into budget discussions in order to set revenue and spending targets for the coming year.

City board members must approve a budget ordinance for 2023 before the end of this year.

The final decision when hiring Lenehan’s replacement will fall to Mayor Frank Scott Jr. as a result of his reorganization of City Hall early in his first term.

Shortly after his inauguration in 2019, Scott took over the direct supervision of the individuals leading six city departments, including finance.

The other departments that began to report directly to Scott were fire, human resources, planning and development, police, and public works. City Manager Bruce Moore continued to supervise the remaining department heads under the organizational overhaul announced at the time.

Lenehan earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville in 1981, and went on to serve as an auditor and accountant for several firms, according to a resume included with other personnel documents on file with the city.

In 1991, she joined Alltel Corporation in Little Rock. In 2004, Lenehan was hired as Little Rock’s city controller under then-Finance Director Robert Biles, according to personnel records.

Four years later, Moore tapped Lenehan to serve as the city’s finance director. In 2020, her formal title changed from director of finance to chief financial officer.

As of earlier this year, Lenehan’s annual base salary was set at $143,075, records show.