$3,550 grant goes to Fire Department
The Fire Department received $3,550 in grant funds Friday from the Arkansas Fire Prevention Commission to use toward fire prevention and education programs.
Arkansas is among the five states with the highest number of fire deaths each year, according to a news release from city Fire Marshal John Pflasterer. Through its prevention and education efforts, the department aims to make the city safer from fire hazards, according to the news release.
The Fire Department has partnered previously with the Arkansas Fire Prevention Commission on prevention and safety programs, the release said.
Council vote halves hotel tax's increase
The City Council unanimously agreed last week to reduce an increase in the city's lodging tax from 1 percentage point to one-half percentage point. The tax takes effect Jan. 1.
Council members had approved a 1 percentage point increase in the hotel tax, as it's more commonly known, on Oct. 23. The lodging tax will now rise from 3 percent to 3.5 percent, instead of to 4 percent.
Mayor Joe Smith announced to the city Advertising and Promotion Commission three days after the council's action that he would sponsor the new legislation to amend the amount of the increase because of hotel owners' concerns that the higher tax would make city hotels less competitive with Little Rock hotels. The commission collects the tax.
The reduction will mean the overall taxes on lodgings will be the same in both cities, at 15 percent. The total includes city, state and Pulaski County sales taxes and a state tourism tax.
The lodging tax is charged for overnight rentals at hotel and motel rooms, bed-and-breakfast inns, campgrounds and RV parks.
Open house, parade among day's events
An open house at the History Commission's Heritage Center, 506 Main St., will start at 1 p.m. Dec. 3, the day of the annual Christmas Parade, the commission announced.
The open house will be free to the public.
The Christmas parade is to start at 2 p.m., ending in downtown for the lighting of the city Christmas tree. In case of poor weather, the parade will be moved to Dec. 10.
The History Commission's open house will coincide with the parade and other events downtown connected with the parade. If the parade is postponed because of inclement weather, the open house also will be delayed until the new parade date.
The parade's theme this year is Christmas Magic.
Argenta asks bulb planters to dig in
The Argenta Downtown Council is asking for volunteers to help plant tulips in the flower beds of Argenta.
The planting is to start at 10 a.m. Dec. 3. Planting teams can be formed by community groups, or individuals can participate, according to a Downtown Council announcement.
Those interested can get more information or sign up to volunteer by contacting Donna Hardcastle at [email protected].
The Downtown Council has 17,000 Red Impression Tulips and 750 pots of violas to plant, according to the announcement. The tulips are a well-known attraction throughout Argenta every spring.
Metro on 11/19/2017