Public Services Committee Discusses Sports Advisory Board Ordinance - July 6, 2026
Public Services Committee Special Called Meeting - July 6, 2026
The Public Services Committee held a special called meeting on July 6, 2026, to discuss the tabled Ordinance 26013, which proposes the creation of a Sports Advisory Board. The meeting featured extensive debate over the necessity of the new board versus expanding the existing Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. No vote was taken; the item was scheduled for consideration by the full City Council the following evening.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jerry Morgan (via email read into the record): Representing himself (though an AMP Commission member, he noted his comments were not approved by the commission). Expressed strong support for the ordinance. He argued it provides an additional layer of oversight for tax dollars, countering claims of a hostile takeover. He provided statistics showing the AMP Commission granted nearly $2.5 million in hotel tax funds to city sports programs over eight years, estimating 80% benefited recreational leagues and less than 20% benefited outside weekend tournaments. He criticized decisions regarding the City Stars organization and the exit from the tournament business for lacking Parks and Rec Committee input.
- David Daniel (Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee member): Expressed frustration with the conflict and urged all parties to remove ego from the process. He acknowledged the AMP's significant investments (e.g., turf fields at Joe Mack Campbell) and suggested adding members to the existing committee instead of creating a new board.
- Jay Clevinger (Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee member): Admitted to previously calling the ordinance a potential hostile takeover but retracted that stance, advocating for expanding the existing committee to include the Public Services Committee chair, an AMP member, and a Facilities Board member.
- Sarah Cook (Citizen): Voiced concern that creating another committee would convolute sports governance. She argued the primary purpose of parks and recreation is to enhance quality of life, not solely generate tourism revenue.
- Dr. Ann McGee (Citizen): Emphasized the need for balance between sports tourism and accessible, affordable recreational programming for all children, particularly those with special needs. She urged that facility usage decisions not leave any children behind.
Discussion Items
- Ordinance 26013 – Sports Advisory Board: The central topic of the meeting. Debate centered on whether it was necessary or a duplication of existing efforts.
- Parks Director Jim Starns: Clarified the Parks Department is not opposed to sports tourism but lacks the necessary staff. He estimated a dedicated sports tourism division would require 10 additional employees. He prioritized youth recreational sports and facility maintenance. He strongly endorsed expanding the existing Parks and Rec committee to include broader representation (Council, AMP) over creating a new board, insisting the department must have a voice in how its facilities are used.
- Committee Preferences: Parks committee members and the Director uniformly expressed a preference for restructuring the existing committee to include more stakeholders rather than creating a separate Sports Advisory Board.
Key Outcomes
- No Vote Taken: The meeting was strictly for discussion; no action or vote occurred.
- Recommendation Path: The item proceeds to the full Jonesboro City Council for consideration on July 7, 2026.
- Consensus on Structure: A consensus emerged among committee members and the Parks Director favoring collaboration and expanding the current Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee over creating a new, separate board.
- Staffing Requirement Identified: The Parks Director identified that a fully functional sports tourism push would require a dedicated staff of approximately ten people.
Meeting Transcript
All right, I'm showing four o'clock, and we'll go ahead and call the special called meeting of the public services to order. Umst item of business is roll call. Please mark your attendance. The next and only item of business we do have a quorum, but we won't be voting on anything today. Um, the only other order of business is communications 26035, and to that's to discuss the tabled ordinance of ordinance 26013 on the sports advisory board. I'm not going to read that in its entirety. If anybody needs a copy, I'll be happy to provide you one. Um then I will open the floor for discussions. I will ask that LJ Bryant first to read some correspondence. Jerry Morgan was going to try to be here today, and he was unable to attend, so he sent an email to the committee earlier today. And just out of fairness and transparent, I want to go transparency. I want to go ahead and have that read, please. I know you must be excited to hear me read an email, so here we go. Uh dear public services committee in Jonesboro Parks and Recreation Advisory Board members, and this is from Jerry Morgan. I was asked to speak at the meeting today regarding the ordinance for the sports advisory board. Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflict, I will not be able to attend. I did want to add some information and insight that I think will provide I think will be helpful in your decision on whether to forward to the city council for consideration. These are my own comments that have not been approved by the AMP Commission. First, it was mentioned by an individual in opposition to this ordinance that it appeared that this would be a hostile takeover and control of programs and facilities of the existing parks and recreation advisory board. It was also mentioned by a city council member that I was not elected to promote sports tourism. I was elected to represent people and families and children in this community, and it's not my goal to get heads and beds. Our goal with this ordinance is not an either-or scenario, but was to add an additional component to our parks and recreation oversight that would help make decisions regarding the placement of our funds going forward. I've attached a spreadsheet reflecting the funds that the advertising promotion commission has granted to various areas of the Jonesboro Parks and Recreation System over the past eight years. This equates to almost 2.5 million dollars of hotel tax funds going directly to city and youth sports programs and projects. I would estimate that recreational league sports received 80% of the benefit of these funds, while outside team weekend tournaments benefited by less than 20%. An example is the soccer turf fields where the AMP Commission partnered with the city to spend close to three million dollars to upgrade the drainage and add turf fields. This was at the direct request of the Parks Director in 2023. The primary benefit to the city is stated from the Parks Director was to upgrade the facilities to allow outside weekend tournaments and not have cancellations due to rain and weather events. This was a significant commitment from the hotel owners that collect all the tax money that the AMP used on these upgrades. This was designated to be a win-win for all recreational players and tournament players. After two seasons of availability of the turf, it is still unclear if any outside tournaments have occurred. Also, a large part of our funding to the youth of the city has been for recreational league expenses that were granted to the city stars organization. Regardless of the current investigation of funds regarding city stars, tens of thousands of our city youth have benefited from the programs that AMPs helped fund over the last decade. Making a statement that heads and beds has not been the primary goal of the AMP Commission's funding decisions is completely contradictory to long history of partnering with the city. Second, an additional reason for the approval of this ordinance is to add an additional layer of review for our tax dollars that are being spent by the city on recreational programming and asset allocations. There have been many, if not most of the decisions that have been made by the city that were never reviewed, voted on, or even discussed with the existing parks and recreation committee. For example, the decision that was made by the city administration to take over the city stars organization was never vetted by the parks and recreation committee. City Council meeting January 6, 2026. Then the City Parks Director stated in April that the city wasn't in the tournament business. City Council meeting April 7th, 2026. The director used various examples of tournament financials to make this decision. Again, this was never discussed with the parks and recreation committee prior to that decision being made. While it might make financial sense to get out of the tournament business, how many children in Jonesboro are there that are unable to afford to travel to play in tournaments that were robbed of their ability to play going forward? Maybe three or more paragraphs. Also, the cost savings to the city was minimal, if any at all, to do away with those weekend tournaments. If a committee were established to review the cost benefits for the children and families to be able to participate here in Jonesboro, funding could possibly be available from organizations like the AMP Commission. This would be the same as the AMP provided to city stars for several years for local tournaments. As those tournaments also bring in family members for the weekend that support our restaurants. Two more paragraphs. Third, the AMP commission can provide significant data and funding that can help determine the best return for all of our citizens, both recreational and tourism related.
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