A special-called meeting was held Wednesday for the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission to vote on opening the application process to fill vacancies, an agenda item that was at a previous meeting. But the mayor's office had apparently already handled the matter.
The commission has open positions on its board and had been attempting to fill those positions itself, but city ordinance requires those openings to be posted publicly.
A motion was made by commission member Lelan Stice to reopen the application process for the board positions. Chairman Rosie Pettigrew seconded the motion, but the motion failed from a lack of votes.
The mayor's office had posted the commission's vacancy on the city's website, a move that would overrule any action the commission could take on the topic, said commission member William Moss, who didn't vote on the motion.
During the commission's last meeting, Advertising and Promotions Director Sheri Storie discussed City Ordinance No. 6352, which clarifies the process for filling vacant positions on boards and commissions. The ordinance includes the requirement for informing the public of a vacancy and having the vacancies advertised on the city's website.
Assistant City Attorney Joe Childers confirmed that the ordinance applies to all boards and commissions of the city, including the Advertising and Promotion Commission.
Storie said the vacancies had been listed on the city's website for a few days.
"No one on this commission was notified about anything that the mayor put on the website," said Pettigrew.
Storie said she informed the commission through email that the mayor's office called to get the information on the positions that are currently vacant and that were about to become vacant.
"In that email, I said the mayor's office has already asked for that information and do you still want to proceed with a special called meeting," she said.
The listings advertise two vacancies on the commission -- an at-large position and a business position. A second listing shows an available position that will be vacated on Oct. 31.
All applicants must apply by 5 p.m. Sept. 27, according to the listings on the city's website, https://www.cityofpinebluff-ar.gov/boards-and-commissions.
Pettigrew's term on the commission ends in October, and she has nominated herself to serve another term. Moss' term expired in June, but he is still serving on the commission.
He expressed an interest in serving another term, and was nominated for another term, but a 3-3 vote left him one vote short of being reappointed. That vote happened before it was spelled out to the commission that open positions need to be posted.
"My feelings are that the mayor's office published in accordance with the ordinance," Moss said. "We follow the ordinance and the application period is open and per the mayor's website it will close Sept. 27, at which time you can either call a special meeting or you can wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting and we can address the applications that have been received."
Pettigrew said she just wanted to make sure the commission was in compliance with the law because the application process was an item left open from the commission's last meeting.
"The ordinance overrules the item that was left on our agenda last week," Storie said. "When we became aware and received all the answers from Joe Childers, that put us in the direction we needed to go as far as the application process and how it needed to be followed."
Moss agreed stating the ordinance directs them on what is to take place, and that the process had already begun.
"I have the feeling that some people think we are trying to delay all this stuff," Moss said.
"I just want to make sure what we are doing is right," replied Pettigrew, who made a motion to adjourn the meeting after the commission agreed to Moss' statement that the application process was open because of the ordinance.