Finance Administration Council Meeting - December 30, 2025

The Finance Administration Council Committee convened on December 30, 2025, at 4:00 PM to approve past meeting minutes, vote on multiple municipal lien resolutions, deliberate on a new AI communications contract, and discuss the status of pending litigation regarding a property ownership dispute. The committee moved to postpone indefinitely further action on the expired property purchase offer to allow for further negotiation.

Consent Calendar

• December 5, 2025 Minutes: The committee voted to approve the minutes from the December 5th special meeting.
• December 9, 2025 Minutes: The committee voted to approve the minutes from the December 9th meeting.
• December 30, 2025 Motion: A motion was made to approve both sets of minutes, followed by individual votes for each.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Patty Lack (4108 Forest Hill Road): Expressed strong support for the city of Jonesboro transitioning to a "cashless or mostly cashless" system for parks and facilities. She cited examples such as First National Bank's implementation, the potential for school systems like GoFan or CORE, and suggested leveraging the slow period (relative to her perception, though members noted sports are year-round) to implement these changes, possibly in coordination with city buses.
• Committee Member Response: One committee member noted that while a slow season does not exist due to year-round sports, discussions regarding cashless systems have been ongoing.

Discussion Items

• Municipal Liens (Resolutions 25202-25215): The committee reviewed and voted to forward to full council eleven (11) resolutions placing municipal liens on various properties in Jonesville/Jonesboro, Arkansas. The liens ranged from $275 to $965, covering property owners including Randolph and Judith Rynolds, Brian D. Maudsheen, Jerry Delaney, and others. All items were voted on with no recorded opposition.

• Resolution 25217 (Axon Incorporated Agreement):

  • Proposal: The committee deliberated on an agreement with Axon Incorporated for "prepared assist communication services" for three years. Costs are $211,565 for Year 1 and $199,665 for Years 2 and 3. The technology includes AI-powered call routing for non-emergency calls, real-time translation for 80+ languages, and live transcription of radio traffic.
  • Councilman McLean: Asked for clarification on the distinction between the new system and current call trees and requested assurance regarding power backup systems.
  • Committee Member/Staff Response: Clarified that the system handles non-emergency calls (approx. 90,000 annually) to prevent dispatcher overload, routes emergency 911 calls to live dispatchers, and provides real-time translation without the 9-minute delay of current phone-bridge translator services. Confirmed a central UPS system and generator backup ensure the center remains operational.
  • Dr. Anthony Coleman: Asked about the timeline for implementation and the future of current translation services.
  • Response: Implementation is expected to take 30 to 60 days. The goal is to eliminate current monthly fees for separate translation and text services, resulting in net savings despite the new contract costs.
  • Councilman Emerson: Noted the urgency of being the first in Arkansas to implement this and the need to finalize the contract to avoid delaying the process.

• Resolution 25198 (Laurel Park LLC Property Dispute):

  • Status: The resolution to purchase property had expired. The committee held a discussion on next steps, ranging from negotiating a settlement to proceeding with litigation.
  • Councilman Haftner: Expressed concern that the appraised value (~$300,000) is significantly lower than the $3.6 million lien, suggesting further negotiation with Laurel Park LLC for a settlement might be the most efficient path.
  • Dr. Coleman: Expressed full opposition to continued litigation, arguing that throwing more money into the issue is unsustainable and questioning the timeline for resolution.
  • Committee Member/Staff: Clarified that purchasing the property would end the city's litigation involvement but does not resolve the separate appeal between Laurel Park and One Main. Noted that if the city proceeds with the lien and forecloses in 3-4 years, the net gain would be minimal after legal costs. Agreed that continuing negotiations for a settlement is preferable to expensive litigation but acknowledged the owner has no obligation to settle.
  • Action: The committee agreed to set a deadline for the administration to bring back potential settlement offers, potentially by the following Monday, to allow for a potential special council meeting before the February 1st court answer deadline.
  • Committee Member (Public Comment Follow-up): Asked for clarification on the lien's utility. Clarified that a lien alone does not grant control over development or sales; full property purchase is required for such control.

• Meeting Time Logistics: A brief discussion occurred regarding moving the 4:00 PM meeting time. A committee member noted that moving the time later would create a 30-minute conflict with the subsequent MAPC meeting due to system reboot requirements, suggesting no viable timing options exist without MAPC rescheduling.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes Approved: The minutes for the December 5th and December 9th meetings were unanimously approved.
• Liens Forwards: Resolutions 25202 through 25215 were voted to be forwarded to the full council for final approval.
• Axon Contract Forwarded: Resolution 25217 authorizing the agreement with Axon Incorporated for emergency communication services was voted to be forwarded to full council. (Note: Dr. Coleman joined the meeting during this vote).
• Pending Item Postponed: The committee voted to postpone indefinitely (postpone indefinitely) Resolution 25198 regarding the Laurel Park LLC property purchase. This action was taken to allow administration time to negotiate a potential settlement offer, with a target to report back by the following Monday for possible special consideration before the February 1st court deadline.
• Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned after public comments and further business discussions.