The relevancy of the Pine Bluff/Jefferson County Clean and Beautiful Commission was questioned during the Pine Bluff City Council Public Works committee's meeting on Tuesday.
Committee member Joni Alexander said she saw no need for the existence of the commission when their sites are overgrown and have not been maintained on a consistent basis.
The Clean and Beautiful Commission has an agreement with the Street Department, the city of Pine Bluff and Jefferson County to maintain around 35 sites in Pine Bluff.
"If they want to know if it's a site-- if they see a median and it has grass on it, it's more than likely ours," said Kelly Kennedy, the director of Clean and Beautiful for over 10 years. "We mow it, we weed it, we clean it."
Every corner on Martha Mitchell Expressway with landscaping belongs to Clean and Beautiful, but according to Kennedy he commission didn't have the funds to upgrade the area. So she partnered with Parks and Recreation director, Samuel Glover.
"We have $45,000 a year for our total budget for everything we did. I could not do the projects and refurbish the landscape of Martha Mitchell," Kennedy said. "Mr. Glover and I came to an agreement that since he had the budget for it, he would take on the task as a collaboration effort between Clean and Beautiful and Parks and Recreation to landscape the beds."
Kennedy said she receives approximately $32,000 a year from the city, $8,000 from the county, and $12,000 from the Pine Bluff Street Department.
Out of those combined funds, Kennedy receives a salary of $24,000.
Clean and Beautiful also has the greenway on Hazel Street across from the hospital and Harding and Eighth avenues.
Along with the Martha Mitchell sites, Parks and Recreation are refurbishing Harding and Eighth Avenues, according to Kennedy.
Kennedy said Clean and Beautiful would then maintain all of the sites refurbished by Parks and Recreation adding that she pays a contractor approximately $3,000 every month to mow, weed eat and clean up trash and debris.
"We did not give our sites to Parks and Rec," said Kennedy who stated they were to "assist with their sites" located down Martha Mitchell Expressway.
But according to Glover, Parks and Recreation is not only renovating the Martha Mitchell sites but maintaining them as well.
"Where Mrs. Kennedy kind of left out, we are maintaining those beds," he said. "Every two weeks we are maintaining those beds with mowing and weed eating."
Glover said they have budgeted $6,000 per Martha Mitchell site, a total of $42,000, to renovate the area and says it is costing about $1,500 every two weeks.
"This is what is required right now," said Glover. "When you have weeds that are 10 feet tall, you can't just go out there and do that once. You have to work that site down, then you can get to a place where it's only costing you $350 to $400 every two weeks."
Kennedy said she was mowing, weed eating and cleaning every two weeks during mowing season but with her budget cut and having only one budget increase in the 10 years as director, she said she would need an additional $12,000 to maintain all of the sites every two weeks.
"I don't really see how $12,000 could help with the overgrown medians and stuff you all are responsible for," said Alexander.
Alexander said in trying to prioritize revenue for the city and trying to cut costs in other places, she didn't see the need to have a Clean and Beautiful Commission.
"We're trying to give money to the police department, public safety, trying to make our city look better...your salary is $24,000 when we could be using all of this money to go towards cutting grass," said Alexander. "I'm not making a decision but I do think you need to fend for your case as far as relevance because I don't see it."
Kennedy will have the opportunity to do so as chairman Ivan Whitfield said he will put her on the committee's next meeting agenda to weigh the pros and cons of Clean and Beautiful.
"Your budget has been cut. I get that," Alexander said. "But when we're looking at it from a fiscal standpoint, why should we keep Clean and Beautiful in place?"
