Arkansas

Businesses and organizations associated with the chairman of the Arkansas Highway Commission are the major contributors in support of a statewide election in November to reauthorize $525 million of grant anticipation revenue vehicle bonds.

August revenue in Arkansas fell 1% from July collections, after eight straight months of year-to-year increases.

Gov. Mike Beebe has set Nov. 8 as the election date for a constitutional amendment that would continue Arkansas’ Garvee program.

Residents of Benton will be asked to vote on Nov. 8 to extend the 1.5% hotel and restaurant tax to support $7 million to $8 million in bonds that would fund building a civic center.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe is expected this week to set a Nov. 8 election on extending the state’s existing $575 million Garvee road bond program to pay for maintenance on 300 miles of interstate highway.

The $3.1 billion of federal stimulus funds awarded to Arkansas created a total of 4,230 full-time jobs through June 30, according to a status report last week to a legislative joint committee that oversees the state's federal stimulus spending.

The Garland County Quorum Court last week called for a special election on Oct. 11 for two proposed sales tax increases totaling 1%. The revenue would finance construction and operations of a new county jail in Hot Springs.

DALLAS — While the volume of municipal bond sales in the Southwest fell nearly 35% to $17.8 million in the first half of 2011 compared to a year earlier, industry executives haven't lacked things to do.

Arkansas revenues of $377 million in July were $2.4 million below expectations but $6.4 million more than collected in July 2010.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola was joined last week by public safety officials and community activists at a rally promoting the city’s proposed sales tax increase.

DALLAS - Proponents of a plan to finance capital improvements in Little Rock with a sales tax increase began a campaign Tuesday to gain public approval for Mayor Mark Stodola's proposal.

A group of Little Rock residents have formed a political action committee, dubbed $500 Million Tax - Too Much, to oppose Mayor Mark Stodola’s proposal to raise the city’s sales tax rate by 1% to fund capital projects.

The two largest Arkansas state pension funds, which provide benefits to more than 55,000 retirees, last week reported investment returns of more than 20% in fiscal 2011.

The Arkansas lottery generated $94.2 million for scholarships at state colleges and universities from sales of $465 million in fiscal 2011, up from $82 million of earnings and $383 million of sales in fiscal 2010.

Little Rock city directors voted last week to put a 1% sales-tax rate increase on the Sept. 13 ballot to finance capital improvements and various city operations.

Arkansas ended fiscal 2011 with an extra $93.9 million in its accounts, the first surplus in the last three fiscal years.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said the city will seek a 1% increase in the sales tax rate in a September election rather than the 1.25% that had been proposed.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe will call a statewide election on a proposal to renew the state's existing $575 million Garvee road bond program.

Little Rock lawyer Sheffield Nelson has filed a revision with the secretary of state’s office to his proposal that would amend the Arkansas constitution and increase the state severance tax on natural gas to help fund maintenance of city, county and state roads.

An end to truckers' support for an ­increase in Arkansas' diesel tax to support $1.1 billion of road bonds could mean a tax increase for trucking companies.