Financial records access splits committee

The city of Pine Bluff Administration Committee will be sending a few items to the full council with no recommendations after Committee and Council Member Bruce Lockett and Chair Lloyd Holcomb were split with their decisions.

City Clerk Janice Roberts presented three proposed ordinances to the committee, one of which she pulled after discussion.

The first ordinance proposed coordination between city departments to assist in the performance of the clerk’s office’s statutory obligations — including the examination of receipts and disbursements, the viewing access of required reports and other documentation requirements.

“This is simply the ability to have access to our financial system when the state auditors come and approach us and ask us for these documents,” said Roberts. “We will have the ability to simply print for them and provide the information for them.”

Roberts said the city clerk’s office is the informational hub for the city, and at this time the office does not have access in the New World System to view any type of statement. Instead, it is only provided a printed monthly copy.

Both Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington and City Attorney Althea Scott questioned why Roberts needed access. According to Washington, this has not been done in the past and auditors always go straight to the finance director.

Roberts said that, according to state statute, she has that option as a constitutional officer

“But we have a constitutional officer in the city treasurer,” said Washington.

Roberts explained that her access would be for viewing and printing purposes only. Additionally, she would act as a backup when the city treasurer is not available, and when auditors and FOIA requests are made to the city clerk’s office.

Washington asked if the auditors were requesting that Roberts have this access, to which she replied it was statutory.

“Since we do have a treasurer, to me it would be duplicate,” said Scott. “We have a treasurer. We don’t need that option.”

Roberts asked, “What are we hiding that the clerk’s office can’t view and print? Whether it’s a state auditor or an FOIA request?”

Scott said the requester should be directed to whoever possesses those documents. Scott said there was nothing wrong with the system currently in place.

Holcomb said he didn’t support the ordinance, but Lockett said the city clerk should be granted access.

“If there is no need for you to have access, why are you demanding access?” Washington asked Roberts.

Roberts said it wasn’t a demand and that a visit from the state auditors last month revealed that she should have access. Roberts said the auditor told her she should have access.

The second ordinance present

ed by Roberts was to amend the Code of Ordinances of the City of Pine Bluff to add a new section: Respecting the Attestation of Documents by City Clerk.

According to Roberts, there were some documents and contracts that slipped through the cracks and did not obtain the mayor’s signature. She said during the interview with the auditors, it was brought up that all contracts must be signed by the city clerk’s office.

Washington said that protocol was already in place, but Roberts told her that some departments don’t even return the contracts or agreements.

“We just had the situation, — and I didn’t want to bring it up — with the Parks Department that was not attested, it was not a signature of yours,” Roberts said to the mayor. “The state auditors have requested that all agreements, all contracts be attested by the clerk’s office.”

Scott told Roberts that if it wasn’t in writing it was “hearsay.”

“If you have an issue with the way the clerk is providing legal compliance information then address it with the state auditors,” Roberts said to Scott. “I’m just giving you an example of a document that was not attested or signed.” Lockett voted in favor of the ordinance, but Holcomb did not.

Both ordinances were moved on to full council without a recommendation.

A proposed ordinance amending the Code of Ordinances of the City of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, respecting the filing of ordinances was pulled.

In other business, Police Chief Denise Richardson presented a proposed ordinance that she has twice tried to have passed by the full council. The measure, which would amend the Code of Ordinances of the City of Pine Bluff, respecting the classification of personnel within the police department, was sent back to the committee. The measure previously passed through the Public Safety Committee and was sent on to the full council.

“It needed to come through the admin committee,” Washington said.

Both Lockett and Holcomb voted to send the ordinance to the full council with a do pass recommendation.

The committee voted in favor of amending the city’s handbook to include a policy for tardiness and a policy on social media to keep employees from posting during business hours, as well as prevent them from posting negative things about the city.