OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Jonesboro City Council Meeting Summary (Jan 20, 2026)

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, January 20, 2026
BodyJonesboro, Arkansas
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, January 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:27:43

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Good evening, everybody.

0:04

Welcome to Jonesboro City Council meeting.

0:07

January 20th, 2026.

0:18

And I'll go ahead and begin us.

0:19

If we would go ahead and start, I'll lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Councilman McLean to lead an invitation.

0:27

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:32

And to the Republic for which it stands.

0:35

One nation under Liberty Justice for all.

0:42

Let us pray.

0:44

Lord, we thank you for just this night, just for your faithfulness, your goodness.

0:49

Lord, uh, just think for the city that we get to call home.

0:52

Pray you'd uh be with our men and women that watch our city and protect us.

0:56

Uh pray you to give us wisdom, direction, and clarity on uh leading our city.

1:01

We thank you for all you do in Jesus' name.

1:03

Amen.

1:04

Amen.

1:05

Wouldn't please go ahead and cast your ballot on presence.

1:24

And we do have enough members present for tonight's meeting.

1:28

So, council, it's always a pleasure to stand before you this evening, and I have several council members.

1:34

I would like to come forward and recognize Brian Emerson, if you would please come forward, and Dr.

1:40

Charles Coleman.

1:41

Don't know what for.

1:51

It's Brian and Dr.

1:52

Coleman.

1:58

First of all, I always am uh proud to to work with our council members and more importantly, the dedication that they have to our community.

2:06

And time flies by in a hurry.

2:09

So I'm honored tonight to go ahead and present several pens and recognition of their years of service.

2:16

And so, Councilman Emerson, here's your five year pin.

2:20

Congratulations, sir, and we appreciate your commitment to see that.

2:28

And the next councilman, I'd swear he's been here a whole lot longer than this pen recognizes.

2:34

But we are, let me see, Charles.

2:37

I think it says 15 years, if I'm not mistaken, as city council.

2:41

So again, we appreciate your support and due diligence on behalf of the city of Jonesboro.

2:46

We want to say thank you.

2:50

Can we get a picture?

2:52

Got a picture.

3:13

And before we hear from the ridge, um, we're gonna switch a little bit, and uh I think it's always important too that we always say great things about our community and good things that are going on, and so many of you are well aware that uh some of us attended the uh AML conference this past week, and it's always nice to be recognized among your peers, and in doing so, it's the commitment of our community and what we have done, and so there are several awards that I'm gonna bring back to the city of Jonesboro, and we had four city council members that were there at the convention that were also recognized for that.

3:54

One of which was honorable mention of tourism and development and creative culture.

3:59

We were honorable mention in that category, and then the city was winner of technology and security.

4:21

And then winner as well in the infrastructure and water category.

4:31

So when we go to AML, obviously we're recognized and compete against cities that are 20,000 and above.

4:39

And to garner these awards in front of them is an honor.

4:43

Uh, we were the most recognized city of 2025 with these honors.

4:48

But here's another honor that I'd like to have.

4:51

And if I think we have some youth in the room, if y'all would please come forward and just kind of stand around me, and then we'll take a picture afterwards.

5:00

This award was recognized for the mayor's youth advancement council for their role in Jonesboro being named 200 2025 volunteer community of the year by the Governor's Advisory Commission on National Service and Volunteerism in the Arkansas Municipal League.

5:17

They recognize the M WIC because if it's important work that they do, students are vital to this community.

5:26

They represent the future of Jonesboro civic leadership and they transition to statewide recognition.

5:32

Jonesboro named 25 volunteer community of the year award recipient in the most youth engagement category.

5:40

It's co-sponsored by Engage Arkansas and the Arkansas Municipal League.

5:44

This honor reflects the city's commitment to the youth engagement and civic participation from all.

5:51

You know, the mayor's youth council started five years ago.

5:54

We had 49, 49 that began.

5:59

We're up to 99 students.

6:01

And from the inception today, they have volunteered almost 1,200, 1178 volunteer hours in the past year alone.

6:11

The students work directly with organizations and the city on real life challenges, health and safety, communications, planning, beautification, and inclusion.

6:22

They are a symbol.

6:24

These students impact Jonesboro with hands-on service-driven projects, and the outcomes are very focused.

6:32

You know, some of their key accomplishments.

6:37

Recognized in the Congressional App Challenge by Congressman Crawford.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████25%
Parks and Recreation████████████████████████24%
Economic Development█████████████13%
Youth Programs███████████11%
Procedural█████████9%
Public Safety██████6%
Governance Accountability████4%
Public Engagement████4%
Liquor Licensing██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Jonesboro City Council Meeting - January 20, 2026

The January 20, 2026, Jonesboro City Council meeting commenced with honors for long-serving council members and the presentation of multiple 2025 Arkansas Municipal League (AML) awards, including recognition as the 2025 Volunteer Community of the Year. A significant portion of the evening was dedicated to a critical presentation regarding financial misrepresentations within the City Stars soccer program, the subsequent resignation of the program's board, and urgent calls for transparency and independent oversight in youth sports management before transitioning to routine legislative items, construction updates, and public comments regarding ongoing administrative concerns.

Consent Calendar

  • Resolution 26004: Removed from the consent calendar and tabled indefinitely by Councilman McLean after a lien was satisfied; motion passed.
  • Routine Adopted: Motion to adopt the remaining consent agenda items passed unanimously without the specific item listed above.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Daniel Gary: Expressed strong opposition to the Mayor's handling of the City Stars financial issues, characterizing the administration's actions as a "deliberate cover-up" and "deception." Gary argued that the Mayor prioritized political expediency over accountability, failed to apologize to the resigning board, and should not consolidate youth sports under current leadership. He stated a position of full support for an independent sports advisory council and called for the council to empower that body to ensure public accountability.
  • Jolene Mullett: Expressed frustration regarding the inaccessibility of the Eben Watson Center community room and requested a specific timeline for the center to return to full community use, noting it was supposed to be a short-term solution that has become prolonged.
  • Jeremy Terrell: Stated position of strong dissatisfaction with the lack of transparency from the administration regarding financial records (specifically cash payments in the soccer program) and the delay in resolving the Eben Watson Center issue. He criticized the leadership for failing to address a recent downtown altercation and urged the council to act as true oversight.
  • James Hines: Initially expressed opposition to the approval of new private club permits, arguing that the city is disrespecting the county's "dry vote" and allowing a dictatorship-like approach to liquor laws. Following the hearing, he offered a position of gratitude toward emergency responders for their upcoming safety work during predicted snowstorms, calling for community prayers for their safety.

Discussion Items

  • The Ridge Athletic Center (RAC) Construction Update: Craig Rickard (Executive Director, Jonesboro A&P Commission) presented a position of excitement regarding construction milestones. He confirmed that crews are installing decking, roofing, and tilt-up walls for a 203,000-square-foot facility. He stated a position of confidence that the project remains on schedule for a first-quarter 2027 opening, despite a delay from the original end-of-2026 target due to May 2025 weather. He also announced the hiring of Brandon Schrader as General Manager.
  • City Stars Financial Irregularities & Youth Sports Leadership: Matt Modelleschi (Chairman, Public Facilities Board) presented a detailed account of financial misrepresentations made by former parks director Danny Kapalis regarding field usage fees. He stated a position of alarm that the Mayor failed to act on red flags for over a year, leading to the resignation of the entire board. He urged the council to empower a new committee to vet all options for youth sports management rather than making rash decisions.
  • A&P Commission Revenue & Sports Tourism: Jerry Morgan (Chair, A&P Commission) presented statistics showing a 0.6% increase in 2025 hotel revenue but highlighted missed economic opportunities where outside tournaments were denied access to Joe Matt Campbell Park. He stated a position that the city must finalize the shooting sports complex and consider a vendor model or separate entity to manage youth sports to ensure transparency.
  • Parks Department Transition: Mayor introduced Jim Stearns as the new Director of Parks and Rec. Stearns expressed a commitment to transparency and accountability, noting the success of the recent JO volleyball tournament at the Ridge site and the need for community input to move forward.
  • Ongoing Investigations & Minutes: Councilman McLean raised concerns regarding minutes that appeared altered during a previous meeting. Councilwoman (Clerk) Hafner stated a position that the minutes were not altered but were redacted due to a phone ring disrupting the recording, and affirmed that the FBI investigation found no wrongdoing on the part of the clerk's office.
  • Cash Handling Policy: Councilmembers raised questions regarding cashless policies at the Ridge and the need for a formal handling policy to prevent the financial irregularities seen in soccer programs. They expressed a need for a clear procedure involving multiple accounting roles.

Key Outcomes

  • Zoning Ordinance 26001: Passed for first reading to change zoning from R1 to C3 General Commercial District for property at 2620 Alexander.
  • Private Club Permits: Passed for first reading for Marmarcas Mexican Restaurant LLC and Wait on Sports Bar & Grill; both received opposition from James Hines regarding county dry laws.
  • Stormwater Management Board: Ordinance 25041 (amending membership) passed.
  • Zoning Ordinance 25045: Passed for first reading to change zoning from R1 to PDRLUO for property at Cortebella.
  • Shooting Sports Complex: Councilman Street expressed strong support for a potential partnership to utilize A&P funds to complete the final building phase of the shooting sports complex.
  • Committee Reformation: The council acknowledged the need to reactivate the Parks and Rec Board and empower a sports advisory committee to lead future youth sports decisions, following the resignation of the previous City Stars board.
  • Meeting Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned following public comments and a call for unity regarding the upcoming winter weather.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everybody. Welcome to Jonesboro City Council meeting. January 20th, 2026. And I'll go ahead and begin us. If we would go ahead and start, I'll lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance and Councilman McLean to lead an invitation. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under Liberty Justice for all. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for just this night, just for your faithfulness, your goodness. Lord, uh, just think for the city that we get to call home. Pray you'd uh be with our men and women that watch our city and protect us. Uh pray you to give us wisdom, direction, and clarity on uh leading our city. We thank you for all you do in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Wouldn't please go ahead and cast your ballot on presence. And we do have enough members present for tonight's meeting. So, council, it's always a pleasure to stand before you this evening, and I have several council members. I would like to come forward and recognize Brian Emerson, if you would please come forward, and Dr. Charles Coleman. Don't know what for. It's Brian and Dr. Coleman. First of all, I always am uh proud to to work with our council members and more importantly, the dedication that they have to our community. And time flies by in a hurry. So I'm honored tonight to go ahead and present several pens and recognition of their years of service. And so, Councilman Emerson, here's your five year pin. Congratulations, sir, and we appreciate your commitment to see that. And the next councilman, I'd swear he's been here a whole lot longer than this pen recognizes. But we are, let me see, Charles. I think it says 15 years, if I'm not mistaken, as city council. So again, we appreciate your support and due diligence on behalf of the city of Jonesboro. We want to say thank you. Can we get a picture? Got a picture. And before we hear from the ridge, um, we're gonna switch a little bit, and uh I think it's always important too that we always say great things about our community and good things that are going on, and so many of you are well aware that uh some of us attended the uh AML conference this past week, and it's always nice to be recognized among your peers, and in doing so, it's the commitment of our community and what we have done, and so there are several awards that I'm gonna bring back to the city of Jonesboro, and we had four city council members that were there at the convention that were also recognized for that. One of which was honorable mention of tourism and development and creative culture. We were honorable mention in that category, and then the city was winner of technology and security. And then winner as well in the infrastructure and water category. So when we go to AML, obviously we're recognized and compete against cities that are 20,000 and above. And to garner these awards in front of them is an honor. Uh, we were the most recognized city of 2025 with these honors. But here's another honor that I'd like to have. And if I think we have some youth in the room, if y'all would please come forward and just kind of stand around me, and then we'll take a picture afterwards. This award was recognized for the mayor's youth advancement council for their role in Jonesboro being named 200 2025 volunteer community of the year by the Governor's Advisory Commission on National Service and Volunteerism in the Arkansas Municipal League. They recognize the M WIC because if it's important work that they do, students are vital to this community. They represent the future of Jonesboro civic leadership and they transition to statewide recognition. Jonesboro named 25 volunteer community of the year award recipient in the most youth engagement category. It's co-sponsored by Engage Arkansas and the Arkansas Municipal League.

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