The Pine Bluff City Council Planning and Development Committee tabled Tuesday a proposed ordinance that would clarify which department is responsible for building permits and related record keeping.
Some duties formerly performed by the Pine Bluff Inspection and Zoning Department were transferred to the Pine Bluff Police Department quality of life division in October 2014. But according to the proposed ordinance, it is not currently clear which department is responsible for issuing permits, collecting fees and keeping the necessary records and filing the reports required by law.
In its current form, the proposal would make it clear that the quality of life division is responsible for issuing permits and collecting fees, while the inspection department would continue to handle record keeping and reporting.
Aldermen Charles Boyd, Glen Brown Jr. and Lloyd Holcomb Jr. tabled the item Tuesday to allow for the proposed ordinance to be amended.
Mayor Debe Hollingsworth recommended the proposed ordinance be reviewed and amended.
“I do not want people to be confused about where to go in city hall to get a permit,” Glen Brown Jr. said.
Pine Bluff Inspection and Zoning Department Director Mitzi Ruth said the quality of life division is better equipped to issue permits than the inspection department.