LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Little Rock Board of Directors made big decisions on several issues Tuesday night.
Some decisions regarded lawsuits involving the Little Rock Police Department, and others created new policies that could impact renters' rights.
It was standing room only in the room for several different reasons.
One of the most extensive last-minute additions to the agenda was a settlement for a discrimination lawsuit in the LRPD.
Several LRPD officers, including former assistant chiefs Alice Fulk and Hayward Finks, were awarded $245,000 in a settlement against former Little Rock Chief of Police Keith Humphrey and the City of Little Rock.
The lawsuit alleged employment discrimination, a hostile work environment and retaliation.
Humphrey retired from LRPD in 2022. However, he recently took a job this year as the new police chief at the University of Memphis.
In another lawsuit, The City of Little Rock is moving forward with improvements to the Terry Mansion, as the board passed a resolution to provide $120,000 to an architecture firm to study the restoration needs.
The Terry family is currently suing the city for not maintaining the historic building.
Additionally, the Little Rock board passed three ordinances to give renters in the city more rights and landlords more responsibility for keeping their properties within code standards.
Code enforcement can now serve liens on property owners who are not maintaining safe and sanitary conditions. If the issues continue, the property could face foreclosure.
"I think there are some positive things here for our tenants and for our enforcement," Little Rock Director Antwan Phillips said.
Several people attended the meeting and spoke to the directors about creating a ceasefire ordinance to support Palestine. It was during citizen communication, and the directors did not respond.