Little Rock city board members failed to reach an agreement on the 2025 municipal budget proposal during a special-called meeting on Monday, putting them one step closer to running afoul of a Dec. 30 deadline laid out in city code.
City board members expressed differing opinions about how to move forward in light of an unfinished union contract with the city's firefighters as well as facility-related needs for the Fire Department.
Ordinances require three readings prior to a final vote.
The municipal budget ordinance was read for the first time on Dec. 17. At that time, an attempt to suspend the rules and advance the proposal to a second reading failed to get the required minimum of eight votes when the city board deadlocked, 4-4.
On Monday, after the ordinance was read for a second time, a motion to hold a third reading of the budget ordinance failed in a 6-2 vote, again falling short of the eight-vote threshold. City Directors Joan Adcock and Capi Peck voted no.
City Director Lance Hines arrived to the meeting after the vote had been held. City Director Ken Richardson, who has not attended meetings since May because of his health, was absent.
Following a third reading, city board members can vote to adopt the budget ordinance with just a simple majority. However, the emergency clause attached to the ordinance -- declaring an emergency allows a measure to take effect immediately instead of after 30 days -- requires eight votes.
City officials might be able take steps to circumvent or suspend the Dec. 30 deadline contained in city code. State law requires the city to adopt a budget on or before Feb. 1.
With firefighters in attendance at the City Hall board room, Peck said during Monday's meeting that she was not prepared to adopt the budget while the city and the unionized firefighters remained at an impasse.
While noting that "the deadlines are what they are," Mayor Frank Scott Jr. maintained that the impasse was unrelated to any monetary issue and "has no bearing on the budget at this time."
A two-year contract between the city and Local No. 34 of the International Association of Fire Fighters is due to expire after Dec. 31.
Union members within the Little Rock Police Department have approved a new agreement, Scott said Monday. The current one-year agreement between the city and the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 17, expires on Dec. 31.
The budget would establish a $263 million general-fund budget. Overall municipal revenue and spending would be $340 and $338 million, respectively.
The proposal would provide a 1.75% raise to non-uniformed, full-time city workers. The budget adopted for the current year gave them a 2% raise.
Failing to approve an emergency clause to go along with the budget ordinance would mean that the planned pay increase would be delayed for personnel outside of the police and fire departments, Scott noted on Monday.