By Ray King

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a toll on not only the health of county and county residents, it’s also taking a toll on revenue to operate vital services.

Appearing on the Oldies 101.3 morning show with Greg and Will Tuesday morning, Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington said the city’s revenues are good for about 10 additional months because of revenue savings, but city officials don’t know how long the situation is going to continue and what the future holds.

“We just don’t know how long this is going to go on so it could be very devastating,” she said, adding that while she hopes budget cuts don’t become necessary, that is a possibility.

“That is the last thing we want to do but sometimes you have to do what you have to do,” Washington said.

Regarding an increase in revenue, the Mayor said there was something city residents can do to help.

Asked about the curfew that she imposed, Washington said she was not “totally pleased. I think it is better than nothing. I think some of our citizens are not taking this pandemic as seriously as they should. That bothers me about opening up businesses May 4 although I understand why we need to open up businesses because our small businesses especially all businesses are suffering.”

The Mayor said construction on the new Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Library is moving along and workers have separated the rooms and have got everything painted.

“They have created some wonderful spaces for citizens to enjoy, and particularly spaces for young children and teens.