Jonesboro resident urges cashless options, better accounting for park event fees

At the May 6 Jonesboro City Council meeting, resident Patty Lack urged the city to adopt more cashless payment options and stronger accounting for fees collected at parks and recreation facilities.

Lack told the council that people who attend youth sporting events have reported paying cash to collectors who do not always provide receipts or use clickers to count entrants. She said season passes — with serial numbers for tracking — handheld card readers for fee collectors, and QR-code options could reduce cash handling and improve accounting. Lack also asked how the city tracks the number of visitors at Allen Park, Joe Mack, and Southside Ballpark and whether concession stands reconcile inventory and sales.

Parks and Recreation Director Danny Kapalis was named in the meeting as the contact for inquiries about signage and the JBR-branded wayfinding signs; he was also the department official referenced when speakers discussed park operations. The council did not enact a policy change during the meeting; no formal motion to change collection practices was recorded. The resident requested that the city explore a mostly cashless system while retaining options for those without cards and suggested issuing season passes and using handheld card readers or QR codes at facilities.

Why it matters: reliable accounting of fees matters for the city's budgeting and for transparency about event attendance and revenue. Lack said that recent events generate dozens to hundreds of visitors and that season-pass accounting and receipts would help the city know usage and income from facilities.

The council did not provide a timetable for follow-up; staff indicated they would look into the questions raised by the speaker.