Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin is finalizing dates for public meetings concerning the upcoming special election on November 10th. The one-cent sales tax proposal would be voted on in two parts. 7/8-cents of the tax would go to fund 20 transportation projects in Jonesboro and the remaining tax money would go toward the formation and funding of the Jonesboro Economic Development Commission. Alderman Renell Woods says whether or not the tax passes, there is still a continued need for more workforce training.
“Whether or not it passes, I still believe that we need to look at the economic development of our human infrastructure. We should look at how we are engaging our young people, our citizens, and our workforce development. I think those problems are still going to be there, even as we are growing at a rapid rate.”
He says getting more young people involved and trained will keep the economy strong:
“To have a strong economy, we must have a strong workforce. We can build all of the roads and bridges and everything like that, but we must have strong people that possess a strong skills set.”
Jonesboro is projected to keep growing about three percent every year. Recent numbers for August showed that over 12 million dollars in building permits were approved by the city, with 48% of those permits allowed for business and 52% for residential.
