Standing before reporters Monday afternoon, Mayor Vivian Flowers outlined what she described as one of the most consequential proposals Pine Bluff voters will consider in the next decade: a one-cent sales and use tax aimed at rebuilding the city’s aging infrastructure, strengthening public safety and revitalizing neighborhoods.
The plan, formally titled the Revitalization and Economic Development Tax, would raise Pine Bluff’s sales tax by one cent on the dollar from 2026 through 2036. Flowers said the measure is designed to give the city “the tools to grow, compete and improve quality of life for every resident.”
According to city estimates, the tax would generate between $9.1 million and $14.3 million each year, depending on economic growth. Over the full 10-year period, it could bring in more than $90 million.
Flowers said that one big thing that happens in Pine Bluff is people don’t understand where the city’s revenue comes from.
She also pushed back on claims that Pine Bluff’s sales tax is already too high. Out of 357 cities in Arkansas that levy a sales tax, Pine Bluff ranks 205th, and among the 10 largest cities it has the third-lowest rate. The city’s current sales tax is 1.625%, with the statewide rate at 6.5% and Jefferson County’s at 1.25%.
Residents have long wondered what happened to tax dollars generated by Saracen Casino and the city’s cannabis facilities.
Flowers told reporters that since 2019, Saracen Casino has brought in about $5.17 million for Pine Bluff. Cannabis taxes, distributed through state formulas, have contributed less than $1 million since 2021.
But none of that money was earmarked, Flowers said. All of it went into the general fund, where it was quickly absorbed by rising salaries, department needs and the shrinking tax base.
Flowers also shared what she believes is the leading cause to the declining population in Pine Bluff.
During the press conference, city leaders displayed a list of eight spending categories the new tax would support:
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Economic development
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Housing and blight removal
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Municipal capital improvements
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Public works
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Public safety
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Tourism development
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Transportation
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Youth and senior programs
The project list was broad and ambitious — street overlays, broadband expansion downtown, demolition of abandoned structures, senior center restorations, upgrades at the Port of Pine Bluff, a full renovation of the Pine Bluff Convention Center, and major beautification efforts such as murals and landscaping. The Real-Time Crime Center, police and fire equipment, public lighting and domestic-violence response programs would also receive major upgrades.
For Flowers, the timing is intentional. Dozens of Arkansas cities are planning ballot measures next year, including Conway and Sherwood, and Pine Bluff risks falling behind, she said. While voters rejected two local tax proposals in 2023, she emphasized that Monday’s announcement is the start of a long public process — not a rushed decision.
Six town hall meetings will be held in the coming months, and the City Council is expected to decide in December whether the measure will appear on the March 2026 ballot. Those town hall meetings dates and locations are shown below:
Tuesday, November 18 – 6 p.m.
Location: New St. Hurricane Baptist Church – Fellowship Hall
Address: 3319 S. Ohio St., Pine Bluff, AR 71601
Ward: 1
Wednesday, November 19 – 12 p.m.
Location: University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff – S.J. Parker 1890 Extension Complex
Address: 2101 Oliver Road, Pine Bluff, AR 71601
Wednesday, November 19 – 6 p.m.
Location: Southeast Arkansas College – Relyance Bank Athletic Center
Address: 6808 Hazel St., Pine Bluff, AR 71603
Ward: 2
Thursday, November 20 – 12 p.m.
Location: Southeast Arkansas College – Founder’s Hall
Address: 1900 S. Hazel St., Pine Bluff, AR 71603
Thursday, November 20 – 6 p.m.
Location: Edgewood Elementary School
Address: 4100 W. 32nd Ave., Pine Bluff, AR 71603
Ward: 3
Monday, November 24 – 6 p.m.
Location: Wilma Anderson Center
Address: 4701 Dollarway Road, Pine Bluff, AR 71602
Ward: 4
