City Manager's Office
The City of Little Rock operates under a Council/City Manager form
of government. This system combines the strong political leadership of
elected officials in the form of a Board of Directors, with the strong
managerial experience of an appointed local government manager. Little
Rock has established a representative system where all power is
concentrated in the elected council as a whole and the Board of
Directors hires a professionally trained City Manager to oversee the
delivery of public services.
The City Manager's Office provides centralized administration,
coordination, control and evaluation of all municipal programs, and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the
City.
Each year, the City Manager develops a Statement of Management Policy
to provide guidance and establish specific parameters for departments to
follow when developing their annual budgets.
Mission Statement
To provide centralized administration, coordination, control and
evaluation of all municipal programs, including preparation and control
of the budget; and to assist the Board of Directors in developing and
implementing public policy.

2007 Survey of Little Rock Citizens' Opinions of City Services
Mahlon A. Martin Award
City Manager Bruce T. Moore established the Employee Recognition
Program in 2004 to acknowledge City of Little Rock employees who exhibit
a high quality of job performance and significantly contribute to the
quality of life within the City. The recognition begins at the
department level and culminates with the selection of one person from
the departmental nominees to be chosen as the recipient of the Mahlon A.
Martin Award. Mahlon A. Martin was the first African–American to serve
as Little Rock City Manager, Director of the Arkansas Department of
Finance and Administration, and Manager of Methods and Standards
Departments of Systematics, Inc. In addition, Mr. Martin served as
President of the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation until his death in
1995. Although Mahlon's rise up through the ranks to become Little
Rock’s first African-American City Manager is highly significant, the
choice of naming the City of Little Rock, Employee of Year Award after
him is more about the person that he was and the integrity he maintained
throughout his career in government. He cared about people. After his
“rise to the top,” he still retained his reputation for being affable
and accessible to the people.

Robert Kelly and City Manager Bruce Moore
Mahlon A. Martin Recipients
2013: Robert Kelly, Fleet Services Department
2012: Travis Rumph, Public Works Department
2011: Kevin Page, Parks & Recreation Department
2010: Laurie Baehr, City Manager’s Office
Emma Williams, Information Technology Department
2009: Gay Spencer, Little Rock Police Department
2008: Steve Kendricks, City Manager’s Office
2007: Bill Mann, City Attorney’s Office
2006: Clay Waters, Finance Department
2005: Linda Baer, Finance Department
2004: Modena Jardina, Human Resources Department
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act