Ballot not too soon
Editor, The Commercial:
The question has arisen why place the tax on the ballot at this time? Or why so soon? This communication aims to share information that stresses time is of the essence.
At the end of the seven-year tax initiative, the following represents some of the progress made as a result of public and or private funding:
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Pine Bluff Community Center, the Aquatic Center, Convention Center upgrades, 200 demolished structures, Harbor Oaks Golf Course, $1M to the streetscape, 40 new homeowners, Chick-fil-A restaurant (12/23), Go Kart Family Fun Park (11/23), 40 plus certified educators, Sixth and Main Retail and Restaurant District (5/24), Downtown Apartments (11/24) 20 plus festivals, Marriott Convention Hotel (pending USDA approval), including $30 Million plus in private investments.
These results represent significant progress over seven years, not to mention this work took place amid natural disasters and the pandemic. The public and private monies used to fuel this work will go away in September 2024. Yet, there is more work and funding needed to continue developing our city at an aggressive pace. Those efforts will slow down without funding, and much of it will cease to exist.
The city’s general fund can only sustain all these aggressive initiatives with the existing tax. A November election gives us less than a year to know if funding will be available to continue or which initiatives we can support without the tax.
To be more inclusive, we have listened to the strategic comments of those in opposition and worked to strengthen the ballot by listing signature projects while remaining flexible to continue current ini0a0ves. The continuation of blight removal, housing infrastructure, a movie theater, park improvements, small business development, trails, restaurants, retail, public safety incentives, and funding for the Delta Rhythm and Bayous Cultural District are a few of the plans for the next round of funding.
Families are currently driving to smaller towns such as Monticello to see a movie and other forms of entertainment. We cannot stress enough how vital this work and general operations are to the city of Pine Bluff’s development.
We also want citizens to understand that the fire department is in dire need of a training center, and despite raising both police and fire departments’ overall salaries by 15%, the challenge remains with recruiting and retaining, offering competitive incentives and wages.
Public safety is a top priority for all Pine Bluff Citizens, and juvenile crime intervention, which also received monies from the sales tax, could not be stressed enough!
The public safety and go-forward initiative failed by 20 and 119 votes, respectively. The proposal and timing for presenting this in the Ways and Means committee sets a platform for transparency and due process.
Unlike the last tax proposal, there will be 41 days for citizens to express their concerns or support before the council takes a vote. There are also 122 days from the proposed election date. We hope this fosters good debate about our city’s challenges and bring about a positive outcome for the city of Pine Bluff.
Lloyd A. Holcomb Jr.,
Pine Bluff City Council Member