The Pine Bluff City Council on Sept. 10 approved a three-year managed information-technology contract with Next Step Group Inc. and amended ordinance language on how vacancies on city boards and commissions are advertised.
The IT resolution authorizes Mayor Vivian Flowers to execute the agreement, caps annual consideration at $296,000 from the Technology Department budget, and lists an initial monthly fee of $23,100 plus an $18,500 annual security audit. The 36-month pact is retroactive to Sept. 1 and was obtained through the cooperative TIPS purchasing system.
Council member Yvonne Denton cast the lone no vote; City Clerk Janice Roberts questioned cost, length and procurement during public comment. Flowers said the city needs deeper IT support alongside Tyler Technologies ERP work, telecom upgrades and aging hardware. A companion ordinance clarifies that boards advertise their own vacancies while mayoral appointments are advertised by the mayor.
