An article in the morning paper quotes North Little Rock Mayor Pat Hays about cuts that will be necessary as a result of voters’ failure to approve a couple of sales tax increases. Planned expenditures on fire and police won’t be possible. Well ..
Remember that only a half of a half-cent, $3 million or so a year, was for operations. Remember that in two years, $14 million now going to hydro bonds will be released. Remember that North Little Rock not long ago got a sharp drop in wholesale electric rates and didn’t pass all those savings along to customers. Remember that the Electric Department has done well enough to pay millions to provide electrical service to the CAT factory and to talk about building a new headquarters building and relocating from downtown (to free the building for downtown redevelopment). Until the mayor demonstrates otherwise, I’d be curious whether there was some wiggle room available for vital services from an agency that taps residents (and Sherwood) for $100 million a year in revenue.