By Ray King
With no dissent, the Pine Bluff City Council on Tuesday approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Vivian Flowers to execute a contract with the Boys and Girls Club of Jefferson County to provide services to young people in the city.
The resolution goes on to say that the club’s services “brings a unique experience and capabilities, which the city does not itself possess, to benefit the youth of the community.”
The meeting was moved to Tuesday because City Hall was closed on Monday as part of the 4th of July celebration.
The agreement between the two was initially set for three years but at a meeting of the Council’s Public Works Committee, that was extended to five years and Club Executive Director Tavante Calhoun was asked about the importance of those additional two years.
Calhoun brought several young members of the club to the meeting, along with staffers who are students at UAPB to witness the council vote and afterward they joined the Mayor and Council Members in a brief celebration on stage.
In other business, the Council approved a resolution which will create the position of purchaser within the Finance Department to serve under the Finance Director. That position will pay $50,750 annually and be included in the 2026 City Budget.
An ordinance authorizing the city to pay bills electronically was read for the first time and was placed on the calendar for a second reading at the July 21 meeting of the council.
