The Jonesboro City Council passes salary increases for all city employees, considers roads and establishes a task force to end homelessness. Every city employee in Jonesboro is receiving an immediate one-thousand dollar raise. The Jonesboro city council approved an amendment in the budget that will allow for salary adjustments worth almost one-point-one million dollars. The comprehensive pay plan also deals with adjustments for how much experience an employee has, and also makes benefits adjustments. The council unanimously approved the measure.
Also, the city is considering what to do with a road that is located on the old fairgrounds property in Jonesboro. The Craighead County Fair Board has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and is trying to restructure its debts, with the largest creditor being Focus Bank. A road that is being debated by the city and the creditors is one that is located on the old fairgrounds land that is located behind Centennial Bank. The road is on private property owned by the fair board and is private; however, the public and first responders can use the road in their daily operations. The fair board has considered closing the road, even though it is described as being a connection between major arterial roads in Jonesboro. The City of Jonesboro has a policy against accepting that road as a donation unless the road is brought up to code, which it currently is not. The Council is expected to decide next month whether to make an exception and take the road as is.
In other news, Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin will appoint ten citizens to a task force to end homelessness. The program would be established by the Grants and Community Development Department and would conduct an analysis of the homeless population in Jonesboro, develop a strategic plan for decreasing homelessness, and identifying a host agency for implementing the plan. The task force would also utilize help from veterans in the project.
