Pine Bluff waives some fees for residents rebuilding after flood damage

June 19, 2019 at 1:10 p.m.

by Dale Ellis

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Dale Ellis - Greg and Lanette James get ready to disembark from their boat after taking a look around the Riverside Drive neighborhood in Pine Bluff. Although their home did not take on any water, it was close, they said. "When we were told the crest was going to 51 feet, we started getting nervous," Greg James said. We got lucky. A lot of our neighbors didn't."
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Dale Ellis - Greg and Lanette James get ready to disembark from their boat after taking a look around the Riverside Drive neighborhood in Pine Bluff. Although their home did not take on any water, it was close, they said. "When we were told the crest was going to 51 feet, we started getting nervous," Greg James said. We got lucky. A lot of our neighbors didn't."

PINE BLUFF — Residents along Riverside Drive who are rebuilding homes damaged by major flooding along the Arkansas River won’t have to worry about paying some fees thanks to a resolution passed Monday night by the city council.

Councilmen voted to place a one-year moratorium on assessment and collection of fees and charges for demolition, replacement, rehabilitation and reconstruction of structures damaged as a result of flooding in May and June. The fees include permits for building, inspections, zoning and demolition, among other services.

The resolution was added to the city council agenda just prior to Monday night’s meeting and specifies that work must concern remediation of damage caused by floodwaters to qualify for the moratorium.

The moratorium will be in effect through June 1, 2020, unless the city council approves an extension.

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