Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of this election?
The Maumelle City Council voted on December 1, 2025, to hold a special election to be held on March 3, 2026.​ Maumelle voters will decide whether to extend a ½ cent sales and tax to fund infrastructure, public safety, and efficiency improvements. This is a proposed bond extension that was originally presented and approved in 2018.
Will the bond issue increase taxes?
No! The bond issue will simply continue the current 1/2 cent sales and use tax that was originally presented and approved in 2018.
What happens if the refunding is not approved?
Ballot 1 question regarding refunding is the most crucial item on the ballot. If the refunding question is NOT approved, then none of the projects will be able to proceed. Even if the individual ballot question is approved by voters, it cannot be funded, and will not advance. The 1/2 cent sales tax would sunset as scheduled.
When is the sunset date for the current half-cent tax if the extension isn’t approved?
The existing 2018 half-cent sales and use tax is levied solely to pay off the Series 2018 Bonds and will end once those bonds are fully retired. The projected Maturity date was 8/1/38. The current projected Payoff date is 5/1/27. If the extension is not approved, the tax sunsets automatically when the Series 2018 Bonds are paid off.
Will this proposed extension become a “forever tax,” or will it have a new sunset date?
This is not a forever tax. Ordinance 1158 states that the proposed 2026 half-cent tax:
-
Extends and replaces the existing 2018 tax, and
-
Is levied only for the purpose of retiring the approved bonds
The new tax will end once all approved bonds are paid off. Like the current tax, it sunsets when the debt is retired.
What are our current balances on existing bonds, and when will they be paid off?
Ordinance 1158 identifies:
-
Outstanding Series 2018 Bonds: approximately $3,050,000
What is the total amount of this proposed bond issue?
Ordinance 1158 authorizes bonds in the following maximum principal amounts:
-
Refunding (2018 Bonds): $3,050,000
-
Street Improvements: $3,860,000
-
Center on the Lake Improvements: $5,390,000
-
Public Safety Training Facility: $5,190,000
-
Fire Station Improvements: $8,450,000
-
Lake Valencia Improvements: $3,220,000
-
Parks & Recreation (Artificial Turf): $5,100,000
Total maximum bond authorization: $34,260,000
What will happen if some but not all projects are approved?
Presumably the total bond amount will be less, so the ½ cent sales tax will sunset quicker than it would if all projects are approved.
If this sales tax extension is approved, when will it sunset?
Presumably: it depends on which projects are approved and on other factors; by comparison, the ½ cent sales tax approved in 2018 for $X million in bonds is currently projected to sunset in 2027.
If all questions pass, what is the estimated sunset date for the tax?
The estimated sunset year is 2053. With 2% annual growth in the tax, it would be 2046.