Ask the Expert: Mayor Allen Lipsmeyer, City of Morrilton

Morrilton: Small City. No Limits.

Mayor Allen Lipsmeyer - City of Morrilton, Arkansas

Allen Lipsmeyer was sworn in as mayor of Morrilton on January 1, 2015. The Conway native graduated from Conway Public Schools and UCA and served on the Conway City Council for one year before moving to Morrilton in 1999. He was appointed to the Morrilton City Council in 2007, where he served until becoming mayor. Mayor Lipsmeyer and his wife, Stephanie – director of the Morrilton Area Chamber of Commerce – are heavily invested in Morrilton. In addition to their full-time roles, the couple owns rental properties along with two businesses. We talked with Mayor Lipsmeyer about his vision for the Conway County seat.


2020 has brought the census, social unrest, and a pandemic to every community. You’ve been consistently vocal on these three issues. How is Morrilton affected by each of these? 

MAYOR LIPSMEYER: We recognized the importance of the census, so the Conway County Economic Development Corporation (CCEDC) committed $20,000 to the effort. Local enumerators kept us up-to-date on problems, and we were able to work through them. In regard to social unrest, we had three public events, and all were very peaceful. The good thing I noted was new faces voicing their concerns that we were able to address and learn from.  

Good always comes from bad. As our community literally slowed down because of the pandemic, we were able to do beautification projects, and families were able to spend more time together. While home, our citizens shopped local and our sales tax dollars increased $200,000 over last year. The City has been able to provide all services to our citizens without interruption. I started a daily Facebook post updating our COVID-19 cases and anything positive going on in our community. 

What opportunities does Morrilton offer to a family? a new business? a visitor? 

MAYOR LIPSMEYER: Morrilton offers a safe community to raise a family with affordable housing, a community center, a public pool, splash pad, and a beautiful city park. We offer a great education path at South Conway County School District or Sacred Heart and have concurrent class offerings at UACCM. There is a great transfer program from UACCM to the University of Arkansas or UCA for UACCM tuition cost. For businesses, Morrilton offers a good workforce from several counties to pull from. We have a great Chamber and CCEDC to nurture and expand that opportunity, along with access to I-40 and low land cost.  

The flagship state park in Arkansas is our own Petit Jean State Park with over 800,000 visitors each year. We offer a growing downtown with a great coffee shop (Big Cuppa), Point Remove Brewing Co., our Carnegie library, Depot Museum, and the historic Rialto Theatre. The tallest building between Little Rock and Fort Smith is also soon to be renovated. 

What excites you most about Morrilton’s future? 

MAYOR LIPSMEYER: Our future is exciting. We are trying hard to make Morrilton walkable and have built many new sidewalks with more to come. We’ve completed a feasibility study for a trail system called the Little Dam Bridge from Petit Jean State Park across the Arkansas River to Downtown Morrilton. We have great schools: South Conway County Schools, Sacred Heart, and the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton. Our land cost is low, and our cost of living is good. We have a lot of outdoor activities. We have millions of dollars being pumped into downtown revitalization. We have unique businesses like Point Remove Brewery Co. and Big Cuppa Coffee, and Rosewood Hearses are built here. The City has invested $13 million in our community and has seen over $700 million in public-private investment without raising taxes. 

For more information about the City of Morrilton, visit cityofmorrilton.com or call the Mayor’s Office at 501-354-1556. 


This article first appeared in the 2021 Conway+ Community Profile & Resource Guide

Headshot - Mayor Allen Lipsmeyer

Recent News

Conway Art Walk

Join us in Downtown Conway on July 5th from 5 to 8 pm for an evening of art, music, food, and fun! This month's theme is Making Waves, so we will have a number of water-themed activities to help you cool off! So pack your beachwear and mark your calendars, this is going to be fun

Toad Suck Daze Set for May 3-5, Announces Little Rock Zoo Exhibit, Record Giving of $220,500

Conway Named a Silver-Level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists