Public Services Council Committee Special Called Meeting - January 13, 2026
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Public Services Council Committee Special Called Meeting - January 13, 2026
The Public Services Council Committee of Jonesboro held a special called meeting on January 13, 2026 at 5:00 PM at the Municipal Center (300 S. Church Street). All seven committee members were present (Chris Gibson, LJ Bryant, Joe Hafner, Anthony Coleman, Ann Williams, Brian Emison, and Janice Porter). The sole agenda item was the election of a chair, but the committee also discussed scheduling a future meeting and coordinating with the Parks Advisory Board.
Discussion Items
- Scheduling Next Meeting: Chairman Chris Gibson proposed scheduling a meeting in February, meeting in the middle of the quarter rather than at the first or last. He suggested the third Tuesday at 4:30 PM to coordinate with other council meetings. The committee agreed, and City Clerk April Leggett was directed to schedule it. Councilmember Ann Williams confirmed the third Tuesday, and Councilmember LJ Bryant noted he would be absent.
- Chair’s Role on Parks Advisory Board: Councilmember Joe Hafner suggested that the chair of this committee also serve on the Parks Advisory Board to improve coordination. Chairman Chris Gibson expressed openness, noting he had recently spoken with “Coach Davidson or Coach D” about joint work, and proposed a collective sit-down in the near future. Councilmember LJ Bryant added that there have been discussions about the chairs of the A&P (Advertising and Promotion) and Facilities Board and whether an ordinance is needed to formalize such cross-appointments. Chairman Gibson acknowledged the point.
Key Outcomes
- Election of Chair: A motion was made by Joe Hafner, seconded by Brian Emison, to nominate Chris Gibson as Chair of the Public Services Committee. All members voted aye, and Gibson accepted.
- Future Meeting: The committee directed staff to schedule a meeting for February on the third Tuesday at 4:30 PM.
- Parks Advisory Board Coordination: The committee discussed the possibility of the chair also serving on the Parks Advisory Board and agreed to explore joint work further.
- Adjournment: A motion to adjourn was made by LJ Bryant and seconded by Joe Hafner. The motion passed 6-0 (Chair Gibson did not vote).
Meeting Transcript
Committee. Um if you would please cast your attendance. The only order of business we have tonight is the election of a chair, and I will open the floor up to nominations. Nominate. Second. I have a motion and second. Do I have any other nominations before we move forward? Hearing none, please cast your ballot. We need to do that by voice vote. Oh, there it goes. And I will accept the nomination as chair. Having no other business, do I have a motion to adjourn? I moved. Hey, before we do that, let's let's do talk about the the next meeting. Um historically we have met in January with this committee. And I I kind of feel that with us having this meeting with everything we've got going on in public services, that we probably need to go ahead and try to schedule a meeting in February and meet in the middle of the quarter rather than first or last of the quarter. Is that admissible to everyone on the committee? I think that's a good idea. Okay. Um the meeting times are generally always at 4 30. Is there any problem with meeting at 4 30 since that kind of coordinates with the other meetings that are on the council schedule? Okay, so April, will you please get that on the books for February and we'll move forward? Yes. Is that the um I'm sorry I didn't catch is that the first or third Tuesday of the the month. Are we doing it the I believe it's the third? I believe it always fell on the third as well. Okay. Chairman, I will be gone. Not that that matters, but thank you for letting us know. Um any other comments by the committee before we adjourn. I do want to make one comment. I I think we need to look at maybe having the chair of this committee also be on the um public service. What's it called? What's the official name of it, Brian? The public Parks Advisory. Parks Advisory Board. Um I'm certainly open to that if that's the desire of the committee. I will tell you I attended that meeting last was it last week, Brian. Um and Coach Davidson or Coach D and I talked, and um I I do think that there's a way that we can work jointly with that group. I just think we all need to sit down collectively with them at some point in the very near future and see what that looks like. I think the chair is present would be good on that board. I'll be happy to do that. And chair I'll say too, I know we've talked about it, but the chair of the AMP and the chair of the facilities board, you know, we've had that conversation about figuring out what do we do we need to have an ordinance or what do we need to do to make that happen? Okay, certainly point well taken. Anything else by the group? Okay, we have a motion and second to adjourn. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed, like sign. Thank you all.
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