Pine Bluff City Council members addressed the recent audit findings and passed several significant measures, spanning from the rebranding of the city’s official seal to a resolution to verify and confirm the current municipal limits.
The council met in a lengthy session March 16.
In the committee reports, council member Bruce Lockett raised concerns about discrepancies in a recent legislative audit concerning the Finance and Parks and Recreation departments.
Lockett’s main concern was the dissemination of inaccurate information to the public via local media, which he argued negatively impacted the reputation of city officials and the council. He expressed confusion over certain reported figures, noting that the official audit numbers did not support those totals, and stressed the importance of transparency, as inaccuracies can overshadow the 90% of the audit that was positive. Furthermore, he questioned the unauthorized creation of vendor accounts.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Mayor Vivian Flowers responded by urging council members to rely strictly on the state-approved official audit report. She noted that upon discovering irregularities last May, the city immediately engaged the proper authorities and implemented policy changes to prevent future fraud or waste. Addressing the vendor accounts, Flowers clarified they were opened by a former staff member without the knowledge of the mayor’s office, in violation of city policy. These accounts were only uncovered through a review of documentation following the staff member’s suspension.
Flowers concluded by stating that the city is continuing its own forensic audit while refining staffing and processes within the Parks and Recreation department to safeguard municipal finances.
“This is really just the state catching up to where we already were. You all know we met with legal authorities. We shared information internally and within the city and within the department,” Flowers said. “At this point, it still has not been sent to the prosecutor, and we’re still in the midst of our own forensic audit, which we will expand as it relates to this department, so that we can see if there’s anything else that could be uncovered where we can come back as a department and as a city and say, ‘Okay, we didn’t catch that. We caught that. Maybe we need to change some things here to make sure it doesn’t happen again’.”
One of the more spirited discussions involved adopting a new design for the Seal of the City of Pine Bluff. While the redesign aims to provide a “more contemporary look” while preserving the city’s “City of Progress” motto, some council members expressed hesitation regarding the process.
Lockett voiced concern with passing the changes via a resolution, which is typically used for non-permanent matters, rather than an ordinance, which is used for permanent laws. He stated that the seal belongs to the people of Pine Bluff and requested that the vote be delayed by at least one meeting to allow the public to see what was being offered. Using the ordinance process, which includes three readings, would “give the public a chance to understand what we do,” he said.
He also expressed the sentiment that changing the seal and logo meant changing “everything that represents this city as a symbol.”
Council member Lanette Frazier explained that an ordinance is for permanent changes to laws, and since the council was “just creating the new seal,” a resolution was appropriate. She said she initially felt “apprehensive” about the logo change because they had “just finished doing the logo not too long ago.”
She said when she saw the actual logo, she liked what she saw and “it really is a great logo.”
Flowers clarified that the costs associated with the change (adhesives on vehicles, business cards, flags, and letterhead) would be covered by current and future budgets. New flag poles and entryways would be funded from the mayor’s special projects fund.
The council also codified new rules for public safety recruitment bonuses. To ensure the city’s investment is protected, newly hired officers who receive bonuses of up to $10,000 must now commit to 36 months of continuous service. Those who resign voluntarily before that milestone will be required to repay a graduated percentage of the bonus.
The ordinance amending Chapter 19, Article V, Section 19-134 of the Pine Bluff Code of Ordinances establishes specific terms and repayment obligations for recruitment bonuses awarded to newly hired public safety officers. For certified officers, a sign-on bonus of $10,000 is paid in four equal installments of $2,500: the first upon hire, and subsequent payments after 12, 24 and 36 months of continuous service. Non-certified recruits receive a $5,000 bonus structured across five milestones: $1,000 at hire, $750 upon completion of the police academy, and three final payments totaling $3,250 after 12, 24 and 36 months of service.
To safeguard the city’s investment, the ordinance includes a graduated repayment scale for employees who voluntarily resign or are terminated for cause before reaching 36 months of service. Specifically, those leaving within six months must repay 100% of their bonus, while those with 6 to 12 months, 12 to 24 months and 24 to 36 months of service must repay 80%, 50% and 25%, respectively; no repayment is required after 36 months. Repayment obligations may only be modified or waived by the police or fire chiefs in cases involving line-of-duty disability, the employee’s death, or an involuntary reduction in force not related to misconduct.
The discussion about the city of Pine Bluff’s boundaries centered on a resolution to verify and confirm the current municipal limits officially and to mark them clearly with appropriate signage. The rationale behind the resolution was to help businesses, current residents and potential residents have a firm grasp of the city’s boundaries for planning and other purposes.
During the discussion, it was noted that while the boundaries themselves are generally established, the existing signs marking them are either old, deteriorated or missing in key areas, such as along Highway 270. Previous discussions revealed that the condition of the old signs had led some to believe the actual boundary lines were incorrect and needed to be reestablished.
The resolution, which ultimately passed, authorizes and directs the mayor to take the necessary steps to verify the current boundaries and ensure they are marked at regular intervals.