Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. delivered his State of the City Address, reflecting on how the community has grown forward together despite challenges over the past few years and his vision for the city’s future. Mayor Scott’s priorities include workforce and economic development, downtown revitalization, sustainability, infrastructure, parks and recreation, affordable housing and homelessness, education, and public safety.
Over the past year, Little Rock has invested more than $2 million in community violence intervention programs that have kept youth engaged and off city streets. These efforts have reaped positive results, with recent data showing that overall crime is down by 7% and violent crime is down nearly 13%.
Beyond these efforts, the Mayor plans to create a permanent Public Safety Commission, establish a HOPE Center pilot in targeted neighborhoods, and continue community programming like Midnight basketball and summer youth employment opportunities.
In his remarks, he also shared how the city is working to identify ways to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and decrease its overall energy use. This includes completing a greenhouse gas inventory and adopting a sustainability action plan that will help the city convert at least 50% of the city’s fleet to electric vehicles by 2030.
“I’m here to tell you today – the state of our City is better than it’s ever been! We are strong. Our future is bright. We are poised to take our city to even higher heights if we commit to working TOGETHER,” said Mayor Scott.
Watch Mayor Scott’s full address here.
