An ordinance that would have abolished the Pine Bluff Urban Renewal Agency was pulled from the agenda by Mayor Vivian Flowers during Monday night’s city council meeting before its third and final reading, preventing a vote on the measure.
Flowers told Deltaplex News after the meeting that she removed the ordinance to allow for additional discussion and consideration.
Councilwoman Lanette Frazier said she was pleased with the decision to pull the item from the agenda.
After the Urban Renewal Agency ordinance was removed, the council considered an ordinance to restructure personnel classifications within the Pine Bluff Police Department. That measure failed to pass, with Councilmembers Steven Mays, Bruce Lockett, Lanette Frazier and Lloyd Holcomb Jr. voting against it. Councilwoman Yvonne Denton abstained.
Holcomb Jr. told Deltaplex News he voted no due to concerns about the proposal.
Flowers said she believed the ordinance should have passed and indicated she plans to bring the issue back before the council at a future meeting.
In other business, the council conducted the second reading of an ordinance to place a 1% sales tax on the ballot for voter consideration, along with a companion ordinance to call a special election if the measure is approved by the council. The third and final readings are scheduled for the next meeting.
The council also voted to suspend the rules and pass an ordinance amending the city code regarding the non-employees pension plan. Another rule suspension allowed the council to continue ward-based elections, maintaining four wards with two council members elected from each ward.
Additionally, the council suspended the rules and approved an ordinance strengthening regulations for public comments during meetings. The changes prohibit obscene language, derogatory remarks toward council members and engaging with the audience while speaking at the podium.
Resolutions were also approved to adopt an artificial intelligence policy for the city. The council passed ordinances allowing the city to declare certain houses, buildings or structures as nuisances, order their abatement, and place the costs of correcting those nuisances on the tax books as delinquent taxes for collection.
Finally, the council approved funding transfers of $97,000 to the Parks and Recreation Department and $14,500 to the cemetery department for repairs and maintenance.
