The Pine Bluff City Council at 5:30 p.m. Monday will consider a proposed ordinance that would remove animal control from the supervision of the Pine Bluff Police Department and establish it as a separate department.
The ordinance is being sponsored by Alderman Steven Mays and Alderwoman Thelma Walker and will be up for its first reading.
Under the proposed ordinance, the mayor would hire or appoint a director who would assume all the duties and responsibilities formerly held by the police department.
It would abolish the animal control division of the police department and transfer its personnel to the new department, provided that sworn and certified law enforcement officers would remain members of the police department and not be members of the animal control department.
In addition, money placed in the police department budget for animal control functions would be transferred to the new department.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Also, the ordinance states that “public health, safety and welfare is adversely affected by the animal control functions being performed by the police department and there is an immediate need for an independent department to undertake these functions.”
Also on the agenda is a proposed resolution that would authorize the offering for sale of three separate bond issues to finance and refinance capital improvements including the aquatic center, other park improvements and street improvements.
The agenda also includes a proposed ordinance that would rezone property in the 3300 block of Ridgway Road from single family to multifamily, and rezone property at 6821 Dollarway Road to Business-3 category. Both of those are up for a second reading.
Other items on the agenda include the following:
* A proposed ordinance that would adopt the 2014 National Electrical Code, up for a second reading;
* A proposed ordinance that would adopt the 2012 edition of the Arkansas Fire Prevention Code, 2012 International Building Code and 2012 International Residential Code, up for a second reading;
* A proposed ordinance that would waive competitive bidding and authorize the police department to buy vehicles, up for a first reading;
* A proposed resolution that would authorize the mayor to contract with Andrews Technology HMS Inc. for implementation of the Novatime time and attendance solution for the city;
* A proposed resolution that would authorize the mayor to contract with McClelland Consulting Engineers Inc. for professional engineering consultant services for the 28th Street Drainage Project;
* A proposed resolution that would place costs to correct a list of nuisances on the tax books as delinquent taxes.