The State Aid Street Committee has announced a significant increase in funding for municipal street improvement projects across Arkansas. According to Steve Napper, attorney for the committee, the maximum grant for overlay projects has risen from $300,000 to $400,000, while design project funding has increased from $400,000 to $500,000. These grants are fully funded for cities and towns with populations below 25,000, providing critical support to smaller municipalities in need of infrastructure upgrades. Cities and towns with a population over 25,000 are required to have a 10% match.

The State Aid City Street Program was established in 2013 following a 2012 voter-approved constitutional amendment that temporarily increased the state sales tax to fund surface transportation improvements and permanently dedicated one cent per gallon of the existing motor fuel tax to the State Aid City Street Fund. Since then, it has funded over 1,500 miles of street improvements and allocated more than $240 million statewide. “It’s been tremendous,” Napper said of the program’s transformative impact. “I was a legislator before this and passed a lot of impactful laws, but this one has by far been the most important and best I’ve ever done.”

With only a handful of cities and towns yet to apply, Napper encourages municipalities to take advantage of the program’s simplicity. “All they have to do is send a letter to the State Aid Street Committee that states what they would like to have improved. It’s that easy,” he said. “I think we’re down to only 12 or 13 towns that have never had a project.”

For more insights into the program’s history and impact, check out the December 2024 City & Town podcast episode featuring Crossett Mayor Crystal Marshall and the League’s Mary Deloney Logan. The interview begins at 13:45. And to learn more about the State Aid City Street Program and to submit a funding request, visit https://citystreet.arkansas.gov/.