PB council OKs school zone street signs

During a recent brief city council meeting, a resolution was approved to install school zone signs along West 73rd Avenue in front of Friendship Academy. The purpose of the signs is to improve traffic control and ensure the safety of the public and children.

According to the resolution, the signs, which include standard warnings and speed regulations, will be placed on West 73rd Avenue as it passes Friendship Academy. The Street Department will be responsible for installing the signs.

Three ordinances City Clerk Janice Roberts introduced during the Pine Bluff Administration Committee meeting last month were presented for their initial readings.

The first ordinance considered repealed a measure passed in 2015, which mandated the Finance Director to include detailed information regarding city bills in a report distributed with council packets before each meeting. The ordinance claimed this practice had become redundant, as the report’s data was readily available upon request and should be discontinued.

To streamline the scheduling of public speakers before and after city council meetings, an ordinance was amended to modify the existing rules. The key change is the adjustment of the cutoff time for registering to speak at a council meeting to 4 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

The responsibility for administering both public comment periods and enforcing the prohibition against the use of offensive language by speakers falls upon the mayor. The city clerk is tasked with managing the allocated time for each speaker and notifying them when their time is up.

To enhance the efficiency and orderliness of invoice processing, a proposed ordinance submitted by Roberts establishes detailed guidelines. The ordinance aims to standardize the submission and processing of invoices in the city clerk’s office. These guidelines, drafted by the clerk, are outlined in the “Invoice Submittal” policy and procedures, which provide clear deadlines for invoice processing and specify the necessary

documentation required to comply with the procurement ordinance. By adhering to these guidelines, each city department can ensure the timely and accurate processing of invoices.

During a recent city council meeting in Pine Bluff, an ordinance permitting Micheal Boykin, employed as a firefighter in the city’s Fire and Emergency Services Department, to operate his personal business, Red Extinguishers, with the city was presented for its second reading. Red Extinguishers specializes in the servicing of fire extinguishers, and Boykin seeks to be eligible to engage in business with the city when services related to fire extinguishers are required. The ordinance aims to allow Boykin, acting as an independent contractor, to perform such work when he possesses the necessary qualifications and capabilities. However, Boykin must adhere to the applicable procurement rules while carrying out these tasks. The council’s vote will determine whether Boykin will be permitted to conduct business with the city concerning fire extinguisher servicing and related matters, provided he complies with the established regulations.

“He just wants to have the opportunity to go through the procurement process to do business in the city,” said Pine Bluff Mayor Shirley Washington. “I talked to the fire chief and he thinks his services are as good as any other but he’ll have to go through the same procurement process that any company doing business of this nature would have to go through.”