Category Archives: Government

Library Patrons show support during Read-In

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Voters will decide on Nov. 8 whether or not to reduce library funding

By Avery Jones | Editor

Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, Ark. – On the Nov. 8 ballot, during the general election, voters will decide whether or not the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library’s tax millage should be cut in half. Recently, more than a hundred library patrons gathered to silently protest the potential tax cut at a community event called, ‘Support Our Library Read-In.’ The streets and parking spaces surrounding the library were crowded with vehicles as patrons gathered on the front lawn as well as along sidewalks during the early evening of Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. 

A petition was presented to the Craighead County Clerk on September 27 to advocate for reducing the mills of county property tax from 2 to 1, which would significantly cut the funding of the library. 

The petition was proposed by a local political group known as Citizens Taxed Enough, who are upset about the amount of funds that the library receives from taxes.

Since the proposal was presented, there has been much controversy over the validity and effectiveness of the potential tax cut. Those against the motion argue that the cut would force the library to reduce many of its programs and community outreach activities and that the average person wouldn’t save that much in taxes from the change.

“I think [the tax cut] would affect the library’s ability to do what it does now drastically…half the employees, half the programs, half the services, half the branches available to people,” said Rebecca Mixon, who sits on the Friends of the Library board.

Mixon went on to say that many people don’t realize just how many services the library provides.

 “It’s one of the only places in our community where you can go for the day and be in a heated and cooled environment and not spend anything,” Mixon said. “You could sit and make yourself better at the same time. That just doesn’t exist anywhere else in our community.”

“It’s one of the only places in our community where you can go for the day and be in a heated and cooled environment and not spend anything,” Mixon said. “You could sit and make yourself better at the same time. That just doesn’t exist anywhere else in our community.”

Rebecca Mixon, Friends of the Library Board Member

Some of the programs that the library offers are after-school activities for kids, free classes, summer activities, and outreach to public schools and nursing homes.

Dawn Morgan and Hope, frequent patrons of the library, said that they take advantage of many of the library’s programs and support everything the library does for the community. Morgan’s children enjoy the children’s library section of the library as well as the after-school crafts. 

Morgan herself has been attending the Jonesboro library since she was a teenager, when she also was in a young adult book discussion group. 

In addition, her grandmother, who is retired, enjoys the knitting classes and often comes to the library because she feels safe there. 

One library program that is especially vital to Morgan’s family is the craft fair. Morgan owns a small business, and one of the places she sells her products is at the fair.

“Without the craft fair, my small business would probably not exist. We honestly get the best turnout of anywhere here at the library,” Morgan said.

According to Chelsea Young, a 7th grade English teacher at Nettleton Junior High School, the literacy rates of children in Arkansas are currently at the lowest she has seen in her 10 years as a teacher. 

“The library means so much to the community in terms of increasing the ability to read,” Young said. “Nothing will increase student reading scores like independent reading.”

“The library means so much to the community in terms of increasing the ability to read,” Young said. “Nothing will increase student reading scores like independent reading.”

Chelsea Young, Nettleton Junior High School English Teacher

She believes that a variety of resources needs to be available to encourage students to read more and that reducing these resources by cutting the library’s funding would be a huge mistake. 

Not only does Young frequently use the library, she also takes advantage of the digital database and tells all of her students to sign for digital library cards as well. The library’s digital database provides resources for academic research, genealogy records, language learning, college and career preparation, and more. 

“A lot of my students live in poverty. There is a lot of poverty especially in rural districts. Even if the funding cut doesn’t affect this particular branch of the library, it will affect rural districts, which are most at risk for literacy issues,” Young said. “People in rural districts might not have access in terms of being able to walk into this library…so it’s absolutely vital and critical that people especially in rural districts have continued access to [the digital database] to increase literacy.”

According to Eric McGee, a candidate for state representative, the current funding that the library receives has allowed them to open satellite branches within the county such as in Brookland, Monette, Caraway, and Lake City. “The only reason those libraries are open is because of that funding,” McGee said.

He stated that the people that are for cutting funding to the library are misrepresenting that information.

McGee explained that the money the library receives is forward funded, which means it’s slated to be used the next year in case something happens to their current funds.

Right now, the library is operating out of last year’s budget, and the money they’re receiving now will be saved for next year, which is how they have a “surplus.”

He said that although cutting the millage would supposedly reduce taxes, the average person would only save about $1.78.

Since the actual amount saved would be so low for the average citizen, many supporters of the library value the library’s services far more than they do the money they would save in taxes.

Stinson Burton, who goes by ‘Lee’, and Katrina Baureis, both college students at Arkansas State University, said that the library is so important because it’s the only place where you can be educated for free.

“I spent a large part of my teenhood in a library,” Baureis said. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I didn’t have access to a library, and I think everyone deserves that same opportunity.”

“I spent a large part of my teenhood in a library,” Baureis said. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I didn’t have access to a library, and I think everyone deserves that same opportunity.”

Katrina Baureis, Arkansas State University Student

Burton plans to be a librarian while Baureis wants to work in a museum. Burton currently works at the Harrisburg library and explained that smaller libraries always need more funding.

“The smaller town libraries in the region will be negatively affected because a lot of them are run by a handful of people and their cities don’t have a lot of money [for] their libraries to begin with,” Burton said. “The Jonesboro Library supplements a lot of that and without that, that hurts the whole region, not just this library.”

Erika Askeland, who had set up a voter registration booth, said that the petition for the funding cuts was occurring because of the politicians who had taken issue with the LGBTQ+ pride display set up at the library more than a year before. 

Askeland attended several library board meetings, and said that Rep. Brandt Smith (R-Jonesboro) and Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro) promised that if LGBTQ+ materials weren’t removed, they would bring the issue to a vote. 

“I feel like it’s just them following through with what they said, and at this point, they turned it into a funding issue,” Askeland stated. “They’re really, really hoping for the voters to stay misinformed in an effort to cut funding.”

The purpose of the event at the library was for locals to show their support for the library and their disapproval of the potential tax cuts as November voting approaches.

 Crowds of people of all ages were relaxed–reading, chatting, mingling, playing, and running around. One couple was even meditating and ringing Tibetan singing bowls. Most people were set up on blankets, lawn chairs, and under tents. Cotton candy was being handed out and a bubble machine was running; a blue inflatable tube man waved about, welcoming people to the event. The diverse group of attendees displayed the value of the library had to them.

Avery Jones is a sophomore in The Department of English and Philosophy at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She can be reached at avery.jones@smail.astate.edu

Public housing residents shelter in place as extreme weather pounds the region

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College students enjoy the extended break

By William Blake | Delta Digital News Service

The first round of extreme weather hit Craighead County in earlier this month. The combination of ice and snow on the ground was enough to shut down the roads and other parts of the city.

   Even though extreme weather is a disturbance, people must be prepared to be shelter inside their home for a few days if they cannot drive. Carol Crawford, public housing manager for the Jonesboro Housing Authority said, “I try to get all my work done in case the weather is so bad in case we can’t come in.”  

    As a public housing manager, Crawford works with tenants and other staff to keep everything running smoothly. However, it can be hard to keep people happy when they go without power or food due to storms. 

   Crawford said, “[there are] many places that offer Hud housing in Jonesboro which have their own Hud contracts, which is where they may have a food pantry on site.”

   While some public housing may have food on site, the organization lacks the funds to supply resources like a generator or transportation to those without power who cannot leave their homes for work. This can be different from other housing options in the Jonesboro area.

   Callie Tosh works as an intern veterinarian and is a resident of Sage Meadows, a neighborhood on the east side of Jonesboro. Neighborhoods can be the worst place after a snowstorm because trucks do not come to salt the roads, which extends the melt time for ice.

   “It was so bad that I didn’t leave my house until Saturday. I didn’t trust my car to start or to make it down the driveway,” Tosh said. 

“It was so bad that I didn’t leave my house until Saturday. I didn’t trust my car to start or to make it down the driveway,” Tosh said. 

– Callie Tosh, intern veterinarian

   The extreme weather did not hit Jonesboro as hard as it hit other cities in the area. In Memphis, thousands of people lost power due to the freezing rain and ice knocking down power lines. 

   Tosh said, “Luckily we did not lose any power, but I was worried about running out of food.” 

   People first think about food when they hear a storm is coming. People flock to grocery stores and gas stations to buy anything and everything they might need. Since some public housing have a food pantry on-site, was this the best place to be during the snow?

   Jared Baltz, a junior animal science major at Arkansas State University, lives on campus in the North Park Quads. He could not leave campus due to the snow, but at the same time he enjoyed it.

   “The food options were still open, and I was able to go to the Union to get food. We also did not lose power which made it a lot more comfortable,” Baltz said. 

Essentially, everyone in the city got an extended weekend and an excuse to stay inside.

   Neither public housing, the Sage Meadows neighborhood, nor campus dorms had wide area power outages from the storms.

NOTE: Featured Photo: The North Park Quads on University Loop East is inundated with snow earlier this month. The dorms are comprised of five co-ed buildings which are home to first-year and upper-class students.

Public workers become ice storm heroes

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Feb. 28th, 2022

Emma Allen | Delta Digital News Service

City employees work clearing the roads of ice during winter ice storms.

East Johnson Avenue is made accessible to traffic after members of the Public Works Department cleared the roadway of ice following a round of recent ice storms. Emma Allen/Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, Ark. – Before winter weather struck Northeast Arkansas last week, many people panicked to get to the grocery store.  Others were preparing to help out the community in the storm. 

   There are essential workers that have the main goal of keeping the community safe.  The Jonesboro Fire Department and the Jonesboro Street Department work in many ways to help enforce safety.  By laying down salt and moving snow away from the roads, the street department and fire department stay busy during winter weather storms.    

City of Jonesboro Street Director Steve Tippitt

   Steve Tippitt, Jonesboro street director, described the process the street department goes through when dealing with winter weather. 

   “We put a chemical out that is magnesium chloride that sprays in our sand, and we spread the sand out for traction,” Tippitt said. “We will do that until we get to thinking we have to start plowing the streets, and then we will plow until we get it to where it is down thin, to where the sun will melt it.” 

   Jonesboro Fire Chief Kevin Miller said his department runs preparations with a lot of their equipment, trying to make sure everything is ready to go winterized.  They follow procedures to make sure the firefighters are ready for anything as well. 

   “The main goal is to make sure we are able to respond.  Plain and simple,” he said.   

City of Jonesboro Fire Chief Kevin Miller

   Arkansas weather is unpredictable.  The public safety departments throughout Jonesboro have to be ready for anything, at any given moment. 

   Caitlynn Hill, junior at A-State, explained, “I commute to campus every day, so I knew it was going to be tough when the storm came to get to school.  I am thankful for the essential workers that help clear the roads and make safety a priority in this community.”

   Arkansas State University opened up for school again today following the second round of winter weather.  The hard work and efforts of the public safety departments allowed citizens to stay safe during the winter weather storm. 

Resolution to build tornado safe room in Jonesboro passes

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By Maddison Smith | Aspiring Journalist
Delta Digital News Service

After last year’s tornado ripped through town, the committee has been offered a chance to apply for a grant to help pay for a multi-purpose safe room in Jonesboro. 

“The grant is a 75% to 25% match and it has to be used for tornado, related mitigation expenses,” Chairman Josh Longmire said. “We are eligible for roughly $800,000 so our grant portion is in the neighborhood of $200,000. We could potentially have a million-dollar project.”

For this project, Longmire will be partnering with the East Arkansas Planning and Developing district.  The multi-purpose safe room would also have community rooms or hold Quorum Court. 

The grant money would not only pay for the multi-purpose safe room, but also the Hazard Mitigation Plan for Craighead County, which has to be updated every five years and was last updated in 2017. 

“We have to update that plan to be eligible for other grants like the one today,” Longmire said. 

The committee expressed concerns about the resolution and whether building just one safe room was adequate. Another committee member mentioned possibly upgrading the tornado sirens in Jonesboro with the grant money. 

Other items on the committee’s agenda include: 

  • Tax collection report from Craighead County Tax Collector Wes Eddington 
  • Finance reports from Treasurer Terry McNatt
  • Resolution to endorse Camfil USA, Inc. participation in Tax Back Program; passed 
  • Approval of Clean Up Ordinance for budget year 2020; passed

Prior to the Finance and Administration committee meeting, Quorum Court held their bi-weekly meeting. During the meeting, the court passed a resolution to amend the 2021 annual budget resulting in the loss of funding for two jobs. 

The funds amended included: 

  • Recorder’s cost fund 
  • Child Support cost fund 
  • Circuit Clerk cost fund 

The old budget for the recorder’s cost fund was roughly $1 million and the new amended budget for the cost fund is now $891,128. 

According to Craighead County Judge Marvin Day, this reduction in the budget means two jobs in the Craighead County Circuit Clerk office will no longer be funded. These two jobs include chief deputy held by John Smith and a criminal clerk position, which is currently vacant.

Justice of the Peace Kevin Williams said “We are not elevating the position, we are elevating the funding for that position. That’ll be something Candace Edwards does in her adult professional manner like she said in here the other day.”

Other items on the court’s agenda include: 

  • Ordinance amending 2021 budget to add fund 3553; passes.
  • The court received a check from the City of Bay to pay off part of a debt to the city. 

Maddison Smith is a senior in the multimedia journalism program in The School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Arkansas. You can follow her on Twitter. She can be contacted at: maddison.smith@smail.astate.edu.

Cottage house ordinance tabled by jonesboro city council

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Maddison Smith
Delta Digital News Service

If passed, the ordinance, will allow cottage housing in Jonesboro. According to the city’s website , “The cottage house development is an alternative type of detached housing providing small residences for households of typically one to two individuals without undergoing the subdivision process.” 

Before the floor was open to discussion from the council members, Mayor Harold Copenhaver made a statement in regards to the ordinance.

“I would like to thank the West End community to allow our staff to attend the West End neighborhood meeting on Sunday where they listed a few concerns regarding this ordinance,” Copenhaver said. “As a result of that meeting, Mr. Smith has some amendments he would like to propose to help address the questions he received.”

Director of Planning and Zoning Derrel Smith then spoke about the amendments in the ordinance.

The amendments include: 

  • Only two houses can have the same design or layout.
  • The character of the cottage homes must blend in with the rest of the neighborhood.
  • All houses will be up to code in every aspect.

“The ordinance was first introduced in May 2020 after talking with realtors and developers in Jonesboro,” Smith said. 

Council member representing Ward 2, position 1, Dr. Charles Coleman then motioned to postpone the ordinance temporarily to the first city council meeting in April. “So that some of these items can be addressed to the community because they still are not satisfied with the information,” Coleman said. 

The council will need to vote on the amendments and then vote on the amended ordinance. The motion to postpone the ordinance was a 7-3 vote.

During the mayor’s report, Copenhaver spoke on the recent death of Sanitation Department Director Donny Gibson. 

“Donny died in a tragic accident Feb. 17. He had people that really adored him and loved him in the city and in the staff. We continued to keep him and his family in our prayers … We will miss Donny,” Copenhaver said.

Copenhaver announced there will be a “mass vaccination” held at the Arkansas State University in the First National Bank arena from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 6. Copenhaver said, “I want to thank all of our healthcare partners, our hospitals, NYIT, health department, Arkansas State University and others.”

Other items on the agenda include: 

  • Resolution to construct the Veterans’ Village community center; passed
  • Resolution to distribute funding through the Coronavirus aid, relief and economic security (CARES); carries to the next meeting 
  • Ordinance to place various traffic signs at designated locations as determined by the traffic control committee; passed 
  • Ordinance for the transfer of location of a private club permit for North Hills Social Club; passed

Imboden Fire Dept gets rating upgrade

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By Courtney Edwards
Delta Digital News Service

IMBODEN, Ark. — The Imboden Fire Department will achieve the second lowest rating possible from the Insurance Services Office (ISO).

“An ISO rating is your ability to do things with your fire department,” said Imboden Fire Chief Jim Jones.

“Based on those ratings, you get a score and that affects the insurance on your homes, businesses, and those types of things,” he said.

The Imboden Fire Department lowered its ISO rating from three to two. The new rating will take effect Dec. 1.

ISO ranks fire departments from one to 10, with one being the best and 10 not meeting basic requirements. A score of five or higher is good, three is great, and one or two places the department among the best in the nation.

This means property owners in Imboden could see lower rates in the coming year. Insurance companies use ISO’s ratings to determine homeowner insurance rates.

Imboden Mayor Chris Jones said, “It saves people money because of our ability to put out structure fires. It also saves on property losses.”

ISO judges fire departments all across the nation on four categories: fire equipment and staffing/training (50 %), water supply (40 %), and efficiency of emergency communication (10 %). The mayor said the fire department improved in all four categories since the last time they received an ISO rating five years ago.

“If there should be an incident,” Jones said, “I think they’d feel comfortable that we’re going to be there as quick as we can with good equipment that’s going to work, we’re going to have a water supply, and the firemen are going to do their job and save their property.”

The Imboden Fire Department has 25 volunteer fire fighters. None are full-time, so many are retirees or work other jobs. Jones said they all care about the community and work hard to protect it. The fire department hosts training meetings once a month along with occasional special training.

“It makes me feel good as the mayor that we have one of the best fire departments in the state, especially for our size,” the mayor said.

It’s uncommon for a small town to reach such a low ISO rating. Maumelle has a population of over 18,000 and the Maumelle Fire Department was given an ISO rating of 2 in 2017, while Imboden’s population is under 700.

The Imboden Fire Department has gone through a few changes since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Along with wearing masks and socially distancing at meetings, Jones said they sometimes get paged to medical calls for which they don’t have the proper equipment to protect themselves. They worry about exposing their families as well. Jones and the mayor are very proud of the volunteers for achieving such an accomplishment even through the struggles the year has brought.

“I’ve been here for about 56 years,” Jones said. “I saw it basically from the beginning to now, and obviously, I’m very proud.”

Jones joined the Imboden Fire Department at 16 years old. After watching the fire fighters, he became interested in participating. He’s been involved with the fire department ever since with an exception to the time he spent in the military.

“Back then we didn’t have any equipment to wear,” Jones said. “We didn’t have any training. It was just a bunch of citizens that wanted to help the community.”

Note: Featured photo and video by Courtney Edwards.

COVID-19 hampers holiday, economy

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By Yu Bai
Delta Digital News Service

The first Monday in September is the traditional Labor Day in the United States. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, most people recognized the holiday at home rather than attending public settings.

Jonesboro physician Chance Smith stayed home for the holiday. “I did have a barbecue, and I swam with friends and family only on Labor Day,” said Smith.

Smith practiced safety precautions by staying home and only being close to those familiar to him.

To contain the spread of COVID-19, the city Jonesboro strongly encourages residents to keep social distance and avoid gatherings of more than 10 people.

Businesses such as restaurants and bars are limited to takeout or delivery while personal care services, and gyms have been closed.

Slowing customer traffic has caused small businesses to have limited profits limiting funds for overhead costs. The city provides some grants and loans to help these companies survive the temporary closures and loss of customers.

Director of Communications for Jonesboro Bill Campbell said, “We have built reserves to get through what we call ‘rainy days,’ which means the periods of emergency or catastrophe or anything like that.”

Employment in the leisure and hospitality industry has always been a dominant area of Jonesboro’s economy, and the permanent closure of these businesses will make many people in Jonesboro unemployed.

Labor Finders is a temporary staffing and employment agency in Jonesboro, which provides good short-term services for those who are unemployed. It can immediately provide jobs for people who need to find a job and pay a daily salary.

Debra Dunaway, the assistant manager of Labor Finders, said, “ We provide construction workers and construction clean up, and we give them money right away when they’re in need.”

However, Dunaway said that they did not recruit too many workers to work in recent days compared with before because so many things are shut down right now.

Jessica Tran is a local resident whose parents have a business. “My parents were forced to close their business for a few months due to a mandate ordered by the governor. As for me, I actually had a job as a desk assistant. However, when the virus started spreading more, everyone was sent home, including me.”

The epidemic has suppressed the development of many private small businesses, and it also has diminished the government sales tax. Companies continue to develop their business while expanding social distancing requirements to stimulate economic recovery.

Veterans’ Village nears completion

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By Yu Bai
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – Military veterans in Jonesboro will soon have a permanent place to call home. Construction of the first ever veterans’ village is in its last stages of completion.

“The village looks to be done on March in the next year,” said Guy Pardew, the vice president of Olympus Construction, “we are really proud of it.”

The construction plans started in 2019, and almost all the basic construction of houses has now been completed.

The village includes nine units which can hold up to 20 people. Two of these units include a two-bedroom floor plan which is designed for veterans with their families. The reaming seven units are one-bedroom apartment.

In addition to living houses, the village will also include a faculty building and a community building that can provide computers to veterans to do their works.

The out-door area will be a common place for veterans to cook together.

The veterans village is a partnership between the city of Jonesboro and Arkansas State University. The Beck Pride Center of A-State is willing to provide combat wounded veterans with first class educational programs and services.

“Our goal is to get these homeless veterans back into society. So with the programming, we’ll use students from different programs like social work, occupational therapy, and physical therapy to provide services to these veterans,” said Lynda Nash, director of the Beck Pride Center.

To better treat those veterans with PTSD and psychological trauma, the Beck Pride Center also provides free classes to them, such as anger management, stress management, and music classes. When veterans join these classes, they will explore to learn more appropriate coping mechanisms with their leaders.

“It’s a national project between us and the village, we’re lucky because Jonesboro is the only city in Arkansas selected to build the village,” Nash said.

The village is built on Aggie Road from Pepsi Beverage warehouses. The Cooper-Mixon Architect Firm is responsible for the construction of the entire village project.

John Mixon, an architect at the Cooper-Mixon Architect Firm, said the house’s actual size is smaller than expected, which is adjusted according to actual needs.

The village is close to the road, so the transportation for veterans is convenient. The  city will provide a complete transportation system that includes bus stops, bicycles, and the JET system.

Total cost of the village is $1.1 million dollars.

Taking Census

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Delta Digital News Service reporters report on efforts to complete the 2020 Census.

Editor’s Note: Feature image courtesy of Bullitt County Public Schools

Keeping count of the young

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By Brooke Buckner
Delta Digital News Service

More than half of 18-24 year-olds in the United States live with their parents and will be counted in the 2020 Census, but the other 45% of young adults do not live with their parents which makes it harder to include them in the Census.

Many young and mobile people between the ages 18 and 24 are the youngest members of the millennial group or older members of Generation Z who were born after 1996.

Photo credit: Bullitt County Public Schools

More than 39% say they are not familiar with the 2020 Census and over 18% say they are unlikely to respond, according to the United States Census Bureau.

Demographer for the Arkansas Economic and Development Institute, Diego Caraballo, said “what you want to keep in mind is you’re going to be counted wherever you expect to be for most of the year.”

This can apply to college students who live in dorms on campus. They will still be counted through the University instead of their parents’ household.

The Census is more important than the young and mobile people realize because communities depend on it. The Census Bureau is recruiting applicants on college campuses across the United States to fill up 500,000 temporary positions to help count everyone in the country.

In regards to being counted in the Census, Caraballo said, “It helps everyone around you even if you feel it doesn’t do much for you personally.”

Photo by Enayet Raheem on Unsplash

Jonesboro City Council Holds First Online Meeting Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

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By Chase Gage
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – Amid a global pandemic and the aftermath of a natural disaster, the city of Jonesboro had somewhat of a return to normalcy with a remote city council meeting Tuesday night.

The meeting was the first held since the state of Arkansas declared a national emergency regarding COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus. It was also the first meeting held since an EF3 tornado tore through Jonesboro on March 28.

“Before we get started, I’d like to take a moment to praise the people of Jonesboro and the workers for the City of Jonesboro. We’ve been through a lot as a citizenry and a government,” Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin said in his opening statement. “The citizens of Jonesboro have been strong and come to each other’s rescue. We are a loving people.”

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 4c1be74c-fbe2-4c05-9df0-14b060af113d.jpeg

The Jonesboro City Council held their meeting virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The new format led to a unique viewer experience, though. it had its faults as well. Screenshot by Chase Gage.

It was far from a typical city council meeting, though, as the members were forced to meet online via video chat in response to social distancing policies in effect across the state and nation. The meeting was then broadcast on local television and Facebook Live so citizens could attend and participate from home.

Residents had several communication options for the meeting, including a special phone line and email address to contact as well as live comments on Facebook during the meeting.

The shift came with a handful of downfalls, as technical difficulties plagued some segments of the meeting. Resident participation was also relatively limited compared to in-person participation, but the council seemingly did the best they could with their available options.

“The coronavirus and tornado have created a new landscape, and our duty is to adjust. I ask for patience as we do so. This is not a new future, it is simply a temporary fix,” Perrin said on the shift to online meetings. “It isn’t going to be perfect. Any change this drastic is going to have glitches, so please be kind and patient.”

Councilman Gene Vance said several improvements needed to be made for the council to continue to hold online meetings, adding that he struggled to hear other members even with his volume cranked up.

Virtually all members of the council were adamant in praising the emergency response of both city employees and the public in the aftermath of the tornado that struck just over a week before the meeting. Miraculously, there were only 22 injuries and no deaths due to the storm.

“The citizens of Jonesboro have been strong and come to each other’s rescue. We are a loving people.”

Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin

Perhaps the most impactful topic of the night dealt with the mayor’s power to enact a city-wide curfew in times of declared state emergencies. Previously, a curfew could only be enacted for 48 before the city council had to meet to approve any extension.

However, the members voted unanimously to overturn that precedent, allowing the mayor to enact a curfew for up to 120 days — or until the next scheduled meeting — the maximum number of days allowed under state law.

As a direct result of the motion passing, Perrin will meet with city officials including Chief of Police Rick Elliot and Jonesboro Chief of Staff Mike Downing on Wednesday to iron out the details of a forthcoming curfew. Perrin said a curfew is “coming soon,” and that citizens should be prepared to follow it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I want everyone to wear a mask. Protect yourselves and your loved ones. This is no time to worry about appearances. You look better with a mask. Please help your city by being responsible,” Perrin said.

Ironically, the first order of business was to pass a motion allowing the online meeting to happen, overturning an in-person requirement in times of a state emergency. Of course, the motion passed unanimously.

Several other issues brought up were related to re-zoning, but most were postponed to be discussed at a later date. Councilman David McClain insisted suspending a vote on ORD-20:010 until citizens could participate in person to discuss the details.

Unlike typical meetings, resident interactions were very few throughout the evening. There was one call-in and only a handful of emails and Facebook comments.

The viewer count peaked around 100, but dipped as low as 50 viewers toward the end of the meeting, likely much lower than in-person attendance would have been under normal circumstances.

A decent number of comments related to how well the city has handled not one, but two emergency situations in the past month.

“I appreciate that the city is continuing to operate in this fashion. Different and dark times require creative solutions,” Jonesboro resident Scott McDaniel commented on the live stream. “Keep it up.”

Watch the full meeting here.

City Council Sings Praises Amid Crises

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By Tristan Bennett
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – The Jonesboro city council showered the mayor, first responders and residences with praises in the wake of the EF-3 tornado and amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The council held their first virtual meeting on April 7, 2020, in order to comply with social distancing guidelines. Councilmembers and residents alike shared their praises to the Jonesboro community for its resilience in these unprecedented times.

Councilmember John Street said, “The response from our neighbors in Northeast Arkansas was just unbelievable, overwhelming, and the spirit of the people in this city is not to be matched anywhere.”

Mayor Herald Perrin said in his mayor’s report that he has spoken with AML insurance adjusters about the condition of city property. It was determined that the flight station building, several traffic signals and a few vehicles were considered “total losses.”

The council along with the mayor’s office continue to work to provide support for residents following the March 28 tornado.

“There are a few homes in one section of the tornado area that did not have insurance on their homes, and we will be picking that debris up as well for public safety, peace, safety and health,” Perrin said. “Also, when they get ready to build and come back on that there will be no fee for the permits to get going on the property.”

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality approved a new landfill site on Strawfloor Road to help the city dispose of the debris from the storm. Jonesboro will be receiving $362,524 from the CARE Act, and Perrin has asked the Arkansas Economic Development Commission for special consideration in regard to their $7.8 million fund for emergency services.

Councilmember David McClain said, “The Saturday that the tornado hit, our neighborhood was affected drastically, am I am truly grateful for everything you (Perrin) have helped us with as far as getting extra patrols out here and whatever we asked. I think you’ve helped make us feel safe.”

Also discussed in the meeting was the rezoning of 400 E. Highland in order to build a new hardware store to be built by Ditta Enterprises. There had been opposition from the public in previous council meetings, but the parties involved came to a compromise, and many from the neighborhood expressed support for the new store.

Carolyn Ponce, a resident of the neighborhood phoned in during the meeting to share her thoughts.

She said, “I think it’s wonderful that Jonesboro is trying to bring more small businesses to the town and not big box stores, and would absolutely love to see a smaller, home business in the Highland area.”

After some discussion, the amendment to the ordinance passed unanimously.

Other issues discussed included:

  • Condemning the property at 304 Warner St.
  • The purchase of the land at 409 N. Fisher St. from the Arkansas State Land Commissioner for $2,243.36 plus closing costs
  • Postponing the vote on the rezoning of 1130 Greensboro Rd. for 60 days as to accommodate public comments

JONESBORO RESIDENTS PREPARE FOR A CURFEW

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By Christine Miyawa
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO – The Jonesboro City Council passed an ordinance April 7, allowing Mayor Harold Perrin to impose a curfew of no longer than 120 days in response to the COVID -19 pandemic.

Perrin chaired the meeting with council members participating via webcam.  Accompanied by City Attorney Carol Duncan, they both wore filtered face masks and practiced social distancing by seating several feet away from each other.

“This is not a time to look good, you just look good in your masks,” Mayor Perrin said as he began the meeting.

The agenda for the meeting did not contain any special presentation as members voted to postpone several items to a time when the council would meet physically.

Several members also complained that the audio system wasn’t clear enough to allow proper participation via webcam.

Dr. Charles Coleman requested the council postpone to the first meeting in June, a proposal to change the single-family residential to family residential, on a property located at 1130 Jonesboro Rd. Coleman said the postponement would allow several members of the public to physically be present at the meeting to participate in the discussion.

Members also voted to postpone other zoning codes, including the ordinance to amend Section 117 of the zoning code to the next city council meeting.

Some of the items the council passed included a unanimous vote to purchase a property at 409 North Fisher St. at $2,243 plus regular closing cost. A unanimous vote was attained to condemn property at 304 Walnut St.

Also, an ordinance to place traffic signals at determined locations as determined by the Traffic Control Commission.

Mayor Perrin said, so far, the city’s revenue exceeded expenditure, but because of the COVID-19 and the Tornado that recently swept the city, they are watching the finances for any significant deviation.

He said the city received $7.8 million for emergency services for COVID-19 and tornado damage relief and because a few homes in tornado affected areas did not have insurance, the city will clear the debris but will charge a fee for re-building.

Councilwoman Anne Williams commended KAIT 8 News for warning the public in time about the tornado.

Councilmen John Street and Joe Hafner thanked the mayor, police department and fire department for their swift action during the tornado.

“You did your best under the circumstances, no deaths,” Street said to Mayor Perrin.

Street and Hafner both said the hand of God played a role in saving the lives and properties during the tornado.

“People as far as Conway and Little Rock came to help. I see the hand of God in this- everybody, hang in there,” Hafner said.

Councilman David McClain also thanked JPD for keeping patrol around the community to ensure no looting of property.

Perrin asked members of the public to send in their comments via email through councilcomment@jonesboro.org, via phone (870) 336 7248 or via Facebook live on the city’s Facebook page.

Members of the public participated by sending messages via email and Facebook live to the meeting.

Dr. Paul Vellozo, a physician in the Jonesboro area, requested the council pass a resolution for food handlers and grocery workers to wear masks.

Several members of the public sent in requests. A woman requested to have all churches closed because a particular church in her neighborhood was still holding meetings and posing a threat to her safety. Another complained that the park equipment and basketball court were still open. Someone requested the city council to close child-care centers during the pandemic because the centers put the health of children and workers at risk for lack of social distancing and a physician requested that all Jonesboro residents wear masks in public.

The North East Arkansas Bicycle Coalition said there is an increase in the number of cyclists and pedestrians during the pandemic and requested the public through the council to increase public outreach to motorists to be aware of cyclists and pedestrians using roads.

Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash

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