Pine Bluff City Council approved a resolution amending the city’s 2026 budget to transfer $100,000 from the mayor’s special projects account to the Civic Auditorium Complex Commission during a special called meeting.
City officials said the money is needed to address increased maintenance and operational costs at the Convention Center driven by inflation and rising facility expenses. The measure passed with a majority vote; Councilmembers Lanette Frazier and William Fells were absent.
The transfer stands apart from a separate Urban Renewal go-kart memorandum that drew no motion and died without a vote the same evening. Officials framed the Civic Auditorium funding as a direct response to higher day-to-day costs of keeping the Convention Center usable for civic and community bookings.
