FULL TRANSITION TEAM SUBCOMMITTEE DESCRIPTIONS

Finance, Administration, and Operations: This subcommittee will review the City’s financial condition, including an assessment of the adequacy of all City revenue sources (taking into consideration the proposed costs of Frank’s various agenda items), the City’s reserve fund, agency budgets/spending in the past eight years, the capital budget, etc. This subcommittee will also review the City’s pension liabilities to determine what steps, if any, the Scott Administration would need to take to fulfill its promises to City employees and retirees. The subcommittee final report should also develop a plan for merging the Mayor’s Office and the City Manager’s Office, provide an assessment of the City’s bonding capacity and any opportunities to refinance existing bonded debt on more favorable terms, as well as a general overview of the Department’s use of any economic development incentives extended by the Finance Department over the last eight years. The subcommittee will also develop preliminary estimates of the costs for Frank’s agenda items, potential areas for cost savings in the City budget and potential opportunities for raising additional revenue. The subcommittee will also review the departmental transition memoranda from the Finance, Fleet Services, Human Resources, City Attorney’s Office, the City Manager’s Office, Information Technology, and the Little Rock Water Reclamation Commission.

Opportunity: This subcommittee will be charged with producing an implementation plan for Frank’s Opportunity Agenda and reviewing the departmental transition memoranda from Community Programs and the Commission on Children, Youth, and Families. This subcommittee will also identify potential candidates that will serve as Little Rock’s Chief Education Officer who will be responsible for executing the Opportunity Agenda.

Mobility: This subcommittee will be charged with producing an implementation plan for Frank’s Mobility Agenda and reviewing the departmental transition memoranda from Planning and Development, Housing and Neighborhood Programs, the Parks Department, the BikePed program, the Complete Streets Initiative, the Ambulance Authority, Rock Region Metro, Community Housing Advisory Board, Construction Board of Adjustment and Appeals, Historic District Commission, Housing Authority, Land Bank Commission, Little Rock Planning Commission, Midtown Redevelopment District No. 1 Advisory Board, Oakland – Fraternal Historic Cemetery Park Board, and the Property Assessed Clean Energy Act Improvement District Board.

Jobs: This subcommittee will be charged with producing an implementation plan for Frank’s Jobs Agenda. The key objective for this subcommittee will be mapping out an organizational plan for the formation of the Little Rock Economic Development Corporation. This subcommittee will review the departmental transition memoranda from Economic Development Division within the City Manager’s Office, the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, Airport Commission, and the Little Rock Port Authority.

Public Safety and Accountability: This subcommittee will be charged with producing an implementation plan for Frank’s Public Safety and Accountability Agenda and reviewing the departmental transition memoranda from LRPD, LRFD, the Little Rock District Courts, and the Civil Service Commission. This subcommittee will also assist Frank in identifying the needs for the next police chief of the LRPD.

Inclusion: This subcommittee will be charged with producing an implementation plan for Frank’s Inclusion Agenda and reviewing the departmental transition memoranda from Multicultural Liaison, the LGBTQ Liaison, Finance (the Purchasing Division to report on the Division’s utilization of diverse businesses over the course of the last eight years), the Racial and Cultural Diversity Commission (“RCDC”), and the Americans with Disabilities Act Citizen’s Grievance Committee.
The primary objective for this subcommittee will be to develop the organizational plan for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (“ODEI”) (including an implementation plan for the Inclusion Agenda) and whether there should be a rebranding of the RCDC into the Little Rock Human Rights Commission. This will include a review of other municipal human rights commissions and diversity offices to align the ODEI with best practices and to determine if the scope of the LRHRC would need to be expanded beyond the RCDC’s current mission. This subcommittee would also develop the job description for Little Rock’s first Chief Equity Officer and identify potential candidates.

Quality of Life: This subcommittee will provide recommendations to the Administration concerning steps the City can take to improve resident quality of life across a host of areas like arts and culture, tourism, special events, nightlife, greenspace and other quality of life issues that attract people to a city. They will also review departmental memoranda from the Little Rock Zoo, Parks and Recreation, Animal Services, Sustainability Office, the Little Rock Sustainability Commission, the Advertising and Promotion Commission, Animal Services Advisory Board, Arkansas Arts Center Board of Trustees, Arts and Culture Commission, City Beautiful Commission, MacArthur Military History Museum Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Sister Cities Commission, and the Zoo Board of Governors. This subcommittee will also identify any “megaprojects” like transforming War Memorial Golf Course into a central park and make recommendations to the incoming Administration on a path forward (if any) for major projects that enhance the quality of life of Little Rock residents.

Transformation and Government Reform: This subcommittee will assess the effectiveness of the City’s Intergovernmental Relations Office (“IGRO”) and review the IGRO’s departmental memorandum as well as the performance of the Grants Management Division for the past eight years (particularly as it relates to their effectiveness in securing state and federal grants). This subcommittee will also develop a game plan for transforming the City’s current form of government to a strong mayor, mayor-council form of government that replaces the at-large directors with ward representation.