The Little Rock City Board may adopt a 2022 budget at its meeting Dec. 7 and the topic also could come up Tuesday when the board sets the agenda for that Dec. 7 meeting.
Meanwhile, the Coalition of Little Rock Neighborhoods has a suggestion for use of unobligated cash: Dear Mayor Scott and City Directors,
Members of the Coalition of LR Neighborhoods just got a look at the budget for 2022 in the ordinance, and we still lack any details in spreadsheets, although we asked for these. We still want those, please. There’s a contingency expense of $1.1 million in the ordinance, and we urge you to spend that money restoring the Terry Mansion. You do have funds; it’s your decision whether to repair the Terry Mansion neglect, estimated at $1.2 million.
We noted the Oct. budget revision put another $1 million into the Reserves, the rainy day fund, raising it to $11 million. We linked the Mansion to this money then, but got no response. We urge you to repair the Terry Mansion from this fund. You hold the deed. Your stewardship is at issue here. Thank you in advance for your consideration. Yours Truly,
Kathy Wells,
President The city and the private foundation that essentially controls the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts financially are being sued by heirs of the Terry Mansion which was deeded to the city with the understanding that it would advance the arts. An endowment was raised by the museum to operate the house as a Decorative Arts center. But it says now it spent up the endowment. It pulled out of operations years ago. Billionaire Warren Stephens, chair of the Foundation board, has told the plaintiffs that it will pay utility bills through June and do nothing more. The city has offered no defense for its part in allowing the home, with links to multiple historic Arkansas families, to fall into disrepair. Plaintiffs want the house restored, but first want an accounting of where the money went that was entrusted to the museum for programs in the house. The foundation has been unwilling to provide any information.
City Manager Bruce Moore said during a previous board discussion that he wouldn’t recommend allocating the contingency money to a specific purpose. Board member Doris Wright had inquired about its use for a project.
