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Committee recommends ordinance adopting firefighter bill of rights modeled on new state law
Summary
The Public Safety Committee recommended that the council adopt a local firefighter bill of rights mirroring Act 686 of 2025; the department said the ordinance formalizes pre-discipline procedures already in routine use.
The Jonesboro Public Safety Committee voted to recommend to the full City Council an ordinance enacting a local "firefighter bill of rights" consistent with Act 686 of 2025, which the Arkansas General Assembly adopted earlier this year.
The ordinance, read into the record as Ordinance 25-039, would add Section 2-289 to the Jonesboro Code of Ordinances. The ordinance text was incorporated into the meeting packet as Exhibit A and would establish procedures for pre-discipline investigations and protections for firefighters facing suspension, demotion or termination.
Chief Henry of the fire department told the committee the ordinance formalizes a pre-discipline process that the department has been using in practice. "So what this does for us is just provide those protections. It gives us a guideline to follow pre discipline. So we'd have to bring the employee and say, here's what you're being charged with. Here's the process, the investigation phase, all that takes place before the discipline's actually issued," Chief Henry said. He added the policy provides rights such as the right to counsel during pre-discipline proceedings.
Chief Henry said the department already follows civil-service guidelines for hiring, promotions and appeals and that the new ordinance would apply to disciplinary actions that affect pay status, including suspension, demotion or termination. He said lesser forms of discipline would not be governed by this ordinance.
Committee members asked for clarification about differences between current practice and the proposed ordinance; Chief Henry said the department largely follows the process described and that the ordinance simply makes the practice official.
After brief questions, the committee voted to recommend the ordinance to the full council.
If adopted by the City Council, the ordinance would formalize local procedures for employee pre-discipline in the fire department and align municipal practice with the state law option available to municipalities.
