Pine Bluff Mayor Vivian Flowers on Monday vetoed a resolution to continue funding for the Pine Bluff Urban Renewal Agency and reappropriate $860,000 for the construction of a go-kart track.
Resolution No. 4993 was passed by the City Council on Feb. 2. In a memorandum addressed to the City Council and City Clerk Janice Roberts, Flowers outlined her reasons for rejecting the resolution, including concerns over financial risks, lack of transparency and accountability issues.
Flowers expressed significant reservations about the resolution, stating that it was based on “erroneous and incomplete information” and posed a threat to the public interest.
Flowers highlighted several inaccuracies in the resolution, including references to outdated or misleading data. She noted that Resolution No. 4041, passed in 2017, was cited to justify the continued need for the PBURA, despite the agency failing to achieve its original goals over the past 8½ years. Despite receiving $17.6 million in funding from the 2017 sales tax funds, the PBURA has not made significant progress in rehabilitating condemned properties or addressing blighted areas in Pine Bluff, Flowers said.
Flowers stated Pine Bluff still has more than 500 condemned properties, with approximately 300 additional burned and dilapidated structures in the process of being condemned. Additionally, she clarified that the resolution incorrectly implied that the PBURA helped secure a $500,000 Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields grant awarded in May 2025. She emphasized that the grant was not predicated on the selection of a PBURA property or any specific public or privately owned parcel for assessment and cleanup, and therefore, the PBURA did not “leverage to secure” the award.
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Flowers raised alarms about the financial sustainability of the PBURA, which currently has only one employee and no active revenue streams or pending grant applications. She pointed out that the go-kart track project is significantly over budget, requiring an additional $1.4 million to complete. That would bring the total cost to $1.7 million over the original budget. Furthermore, Flowers pointed out, the resolution failed to specify where the $860,000 in reappropriated funds would come from within the city’s budget, violating ordinance requirements.
Flowers criticized the lack of documentation and oversight regarding the PBURA’s financial activities. She noted that neither the City Council, mayor, finance director nor the public had received official documentation detailing private partnership funds or agreements related to the go-kart track project.
Additionally, according to Flowers, past instances of theft and audit findings have raised concerns about the agency’s ability to manage public funds responsibly.
Last week’s City Council meeting was marked by a tense debate over the future and financial transparency of the PBURA, which culminated in the repeal of a key funding resolution.
Initially, the council passed it 6-2 to affirm support for the PBURA’s operations and reappropriate $860,000 for the project, citing the agency’s achievements in blight remediation, securing a $500,000 Brownfield award, facilitating new construction and developing more than $4 million in private partnerships.
However, the meeting was dominated by a dispute between PBURA Director Chandra Griffin and Flowers regarding the agency’s available funds. Griffin had previously claimed to have only “$14,000 to pay her bills,” a statement Flowers called “at least disingenuous,” pointing to conflicting financial reports and an existing $290,000 reserve from an insurance claim. Amid this controversy, the council held the first reading of an ordinance to abolish the PBURA and dissolve its board by Dec. 31.
Ultimately, the City Council formally repealed the allocation by a 7-1 vote Feb. 2. New information revealed the PBURA had “approximately $700,000 in its account available for use,” making the city’s allocation “unnecessary.” Flowers argued that the PBURA’s own funds, combined with $1.2 million in private commitments, were sufficient to cover the remaining $1.4 million needed for the go-kart track.
Council members, frustrated that the $860,000 approved in 2024 had never been transferred due to a mayoral policy change, nonetheless agreed that the long-delayed go-kart track project must be finished and that the $860,000 should be reallocated with clearer stipulations to ensure the construction moves forward.
The city of Pine Bluff is currently undergoing a forensic audit of transactions related to the 2017 sales tax funds. Flowers emphasized that any decision to extend funding to the PBURA should be postponed until the preliminary audit report is received in March.
In her memorandum, Flowers requested that her written statement be filed with the city clerk and presented to the city council at its next regular meeting on Feb. 17. The council will have the opportunity to consider overriding the veto, as permitted by Arkansas law.
The veto raises questions about the future of the PBURA, which has faced significant challenges in recent years, including funding shortages, project delays and transparency issues. Flowers emphasized the need for targeted oversight and cost-saving measures if the City Council decides to support the PBURA’s continuation. She also called for greater transparency and accountability in the agency’s operations to restore public confidence.
The City Council will deliberate on the veto during its Feb. 17 meeting, where members may choose to override the mayor’s decision.