A proposed resolution that would request the state appear before the city Planning Commission for approval before opening a halfway house at the Southeast Arkansas Community Corrections Center will be considered Monday by the Pine Bluff City Council.
The proposal goes on to give the city attorney permission to take the matter to court if the state refuses to comply with the city’s land use and zoning rules.
The council meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday in council chambers at the civic complex. The Ways and Means and Ordinances and Resolutions committees meet at 5 p.m.
Alderman Thelma Walker and Alderman George Stepps are sponsoring the proposed resolution.
The Arkansas Department of Community Correction plans to open additional transitional housing in Pine Bluff for 32 state prison parolees in four duplex housing units on department property at 7301 W. 13th Ave.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
DCC officials are considering which categories of parolees may be allowed to stay at the site, but emphasized at a recent community meeting that no final decision has been made on whether to house violent offenders or sex offenders. They have also not made a final decision about how long the parolees would be allowed to stay at the facility.
The parolees would have supervision from a parole officer, but there would not be someone at the facility 24 hours a day, DCC officials have said. Security officers at the nearby women’s facility would also provide security for the halfway houses.
The parolees would be expected to leave the facility to work jobs so that they can pay rent, buy their own groceries and cook their own meals. DCC officials have said the facility could open in April or May.
Ora and Earl Mays have been circulating petitions opposing the plan and at the March 12 community meeting said they had gathered 522 signatures. Opponents have criticized the state’s lack of communication with residents who would neighbor the proposed facility and lack of communication with city officials, many of whom found out about the state’s plan from newspaper articles. Opponents have argued that the parolees may re-offend, that it will be difficult for the parolees to find employment and that the facility will damage Pine Bluff’s image.
DCC officials have argued the halfway house is a humane and good solution for providing a place to go to prisoners who qualify for parole, but do not have family members to take them in. Without somewhere to go, they must remain in prison. DCC officials cited a figure at the March 12 meeting of about 540 prisoners who fall into that category.
On Monday, the Pine Bluff City Council will consider a proposed resolution that would express the city’s concern about the state’s plan to open the facility “without first complying with the city’s land use and zoning rules.
“The council calls upon state officials to submit an application to the city’s Planning Commission for the intended use and honor public input before making any final decision to locate the facility in the city limits,” the proposed resolution states. “The city attorney is authorized to seek legal redress to a court of competent jurisdiction in the event the state refused to comply with the city’s land use and zoning rules.”
The proposed resolution cites an Attorney General opinion that states that it should be determined on a case-by-case basis as to whether municipal zoning regulations apply to a state facility. The proposal also states that Arkansas law does not provide any express exemption for a state agency from the zoning regulations of a municipality.
In other business, the council will consider:
• A proposed resolution that would declare March 30 International Stand Up to Bullying Day in the city of Pine Bluff. The designation was requested by student Legacy Paris. Participants wear pink shirts or blouses on March 30 to designate their resolve to eliminate bullying in schools and workplaces.
• A proposed resolution that would request a police presence be established at the Family Community Development Corp. Center at 1001 N. Palm St.
• Proposed resolutions that would commend outgoing commissioner Chris Castoro for his service on the Parks and Recreation Commission and appoint Carson Fields to the position.
• And a proposed resolution condemning a list of 27 buildings and ordering their demolition.
Ray Ring and Larry Fugate contributed to this report