Mayor Rawn outlines seven priorities in 2026 State of the City address

Mayor Molly Rawn framed the past year as one of “intentional, steady and shared” progress and highlighted the March 3 bond vote as central to financing projects across housing, infrastructure, transit, public safety and sustainability.

Fayetteville Mayor Molly Rawn used her second State of the City address to describe the past year as one of “intentional, steady and shared” progress. She spoke at the Fayetteville Town Center in a conversational format that included a short interview with KUAF’s Matthew Moore. Rawn placed housing, infrastructure, public transit, sustainability, public safety and economic development at the center of her remarks. She identified the March 3 bond vote as the administration’s central priority for funding large capital projects. Key points: - Housing: The city restored its working relationship with the Fayetteville Housing Authority and provided $200,000 to stabilize operations, hired Arkansas’ first chief housing officer, and elevated a Department of Housing and Community Services. Permit-ready plans and same-day permit approvals were launched, with single-family and duplex permits issued 36% faster in 2025 and apartment permits issued 20% faster compared with prior years. - Infrastructure: The city has more than 10,000 water service lines and in-house crews repaired more than 1,000 lines last year, with plans to exceed that number in 2026; the city also launched an online map to track line repairs and cited projects like Highway 112 and a new downtown master plan. - Bond package: The March 3 ballot includes nine bond measures covering water and sewer upgrades, fire facilities and equipment, road and pedestrian improvements, a new animal shelter, recycling facilities and a year-round indoor-outdoor aquatic center, which has drawn some opposition. - Transit: Public transit funding is increasing by 40% for 2026, with six new bus shelters added recently and a goal to install a shelter and bench at every Fayetteville bus stop by the end of 2028. - Public safety: Officials highlighted Arkansas’ first Firefighters Bill of Rights passed last year in Fayetteville and outlined plans for additional fire stations, trucks and training facilities, along with continued investment in police training and relationship-building. - Clean energy and economy: A second large solar array is expected to come online later this year, bringing city facility clean energy use to about 93% with a goal of 100% by 2030; economic notes included a $24 million expansion by Packaging Specialties expected to create about 100 jobs and support for small businesses through partnerships and microloans. Summary: The address emphasized ongoing, structural work across housing, utilities, transit, safety and clean energy, and framed large capital projects around a March 3 bond vote. Passage of the bond package is presented as the immediate next milestone for funding those projects.