The Pine Bluff City Council unanimously approved two resolutions that modified the 2026 municipal budget during a special-called meeting Tuesday evening.
The amendments involved reallocations within the Pine Bluff Police Department and adjustments related to closing out fiscal year 2025. Notably, these were the same resolutions that Council Member Bruce Lockett had voted against adding to the agenda during the regular council meeting held the day before.
The reallocation for 2025 shifted funds across departments such as maintenance, fire administration, and parks.
“Does this close out the 2025?” Lockett asked. Pine Bluff Mayor Vivian Flowers confirmed that it did.
The police department will receive $150,000 in unused salary funds toward operational needs including vehicle purchases, technology upgrades and jail-related expenses. Discussion on the police allocation included questions about vehicle procurement and ownership responsibilities.
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While the measures ultimately passed, Lockett reiterated concerns from Monday’s meeting about not having adequate time to review complex financial documents.
“My objection yesterday wasn’t to the material,” he said. “It was not having the time to really look over it. I just could not vote for it because I didn’t have ample time to digest the information and to ask questions.”
Lockett said additional time allowed for questions to be addressed before Tuesday’s vote.
In a separate action, the council unanimously approved a resolution recognizing the United Nations Security Council and supporting the Moroccan Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara. The measure also reaffirmed Pine Bluff’s sister-city relationship with Dakhla, Morocco.
Before the vote, Flowers explained the resolution had undergone multiple revisions.
“This is the third of the revisions that we received,” she said, noting that changes had been submitted by a representative involved in the sister-city partnership.
City Attorney Althea Hadden-Scott clarified only minor wording edits had been made, describing them as “small changes” to language within the document.