Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine September 2026

HVACR NewsMagazine September 2026

State National Chapter News

that hinge on the passage of ISSUE 3. Gabe Holmstrom of the ISSUE 3 campaign says that it does not raise taxes and 48 other states are already doing it. It is basically a rebate program which allows qualifying projects to get rebates on taxes they paid to help defray some of the big costs of putting in the project. The rebate eventually expires based on the local agreement. Then, the city, county, and state collect and keep the taxes the new business or industry generates. Everyone wins in the long run. Back to that billion dollars. Yes, it would be a big job to pick up a billion dollars but the question is, “Is it worth the effort?” In this case, you only have to cast your vote. Now, I assume that some may not be excited about Issue 3 and you may not be either. Question is, “Why, would you not be for it?” As a HVACR professional, you stand to win every time a new business opens. They all need heating, air conditioning, ventilation, and refrigeration. That will mean a lot of HVACR business for someone on the install and more for maintenance in the future. Perhaps you know something that I don’t know. If so, feel free to respond and we’ll try to air your views in the November issue which will publish with only 2 days before the election. We will never tell you how you should vote, only that you should vote your conscience based on fact. Have a great fall. Hope to see you in October. Pray and Vote on November 3 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers…for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives… 1 Timothy 1, 2

How much is a Billion Dollars?

To answer that question, let’s ask a question, in fact, four questions. Question 1— If you saw a dollar bill on the ground, Would you pick it up? Question 2— What if there were several dollar bills put end to end? Would you pick them up? Question 3— What if there were dollar bills end to end as far as you could see? Would you pick them up. Question 4— What if there were 1 billion dollar bills laid end to end. Would you pick them up? I know. It’s a billion dollars and it is starting to sound like work, BUT, it is a billion dollars. How else could you get a billion dollars. How big of a job is it to pick up a billion dollars? Well, those dollar bills laid end to end would circle the globe 3.898 times. It would be a big job, but, what if you could bring over a billion dollars into Arkansas with your vote? According to supporters of ISSUE 3, that is what is at stake. The proposed state constitutional amendment would allow Arkansas cities and counties to use the new tax revenue generated by the new business and industry to help fund economic development projects within predetermined districts. According to Cliff McKinney of Quattlebaum Grooms & Tull, he has clients that want to bring over a billion dollars of projects into Arkansas