Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. announced that he was vetoing an ordinance regulating shared scooters approved by city directors last week.

At its Dec. 2 meeting, city directors voted to amend the ordinance put forward by city leadership. The amendments required scooter operators to provide helmets to all riders under 18 and keep them out of certain residential neighborhoods.

Advertisement

Scott, who had expressed skepticism about the amendments at last week’s meeting, said that the helmet requirement was “unreasonable and impractical” and “unduly burdensome and beyond the scope of appropriate policy.” He said the city didn’t want to gain a reputation for “dictating the operation of private business.”

He said further, “A clear ban on all neighborhoods does not equitably serve our city’s needs and its residents.” Many residential neighborhoods are adjacent to commercial areas and citizens don’t have a clear idea of residential delineations, he said.

Advertisement

Scott also said both amendments would burden the police department.

He said the city would present another scooter ordinance. It would take seven votes to override his veto.

Advertisement

Here’s Scott’s statement on the veto.

Finance Director Sara Lenehan told the board that September sales tax figures had come in above projections, and the city planned to increase general fund revenue by $500,000. She also described a plan to provide a lump-sum payment of $500 to each full-time city employee who has been on the payroll since March 16. That would cost the city $943,442.

Advertisement