Committee forwards two school‑zone traffic ordinances to full council

A Jonesboro City Council committee voted to forward two traffic ordinances to the full council that would modify school‑area traffic patterns and consolidate school‑zone speed limits.

The committee moved Ordinance 25030, which would modify Ordinance 24037 to designate Wilkins Avenue (from MacArthur Park to Hillcrest Drive) as one‑way eastbound during school arrival and dismissal hours, and Ordinance 25031, which would place various stop signs and codify school‑zone speed limits at multiple Jonesboro schools. Both items were forwarded to the full council after motions to do so and neither measure received formal roll‑call vote totals in the committee discussion.

Ordinance 25030

The ordinance text as read at the meeting states that Wilkins Avenue will be one‑way eastbound from 7:15 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and between 2:45 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on school days, with an effective date of Jan. 1, 2026, to allow time for public education and preparation. The ordinance amends Ordinance 24‑037, which previously consolidated traffic patterns near Jonesboro Public School campuses. The committee chair moved to forward the ordinance to full council; the chair stated, “That motion does carry and forwards on to full council,” but the committee did not read a roll‑call tally during the discussion.

Ordinance 25031

The second ordinance would add or restate designated stop signs and school‑zone speed limits across numerous school locations. The list presented at the committee meeting includes (school — street/location — posted speed): Success School — Fisher Street (Hoover to Belt) and Belt Street (Alice to Fisher) — 25 mph; Annie Camp Junior High — West Nettleton Avenue (Hester to Dupuy) — 25 mph and Farrell Street (Matthews to school lot) — 20 mph; Kindergarten Center — West Nettleton Avenue (Lamar Place to Flint Street) — 25 mph; MacArthur Junior High — Wilkins Avenue (Metzor Lane to Hillcrest Drive) — 25 mph; Nettleton Intermediate — Ray Street (Mary Jane Drive to Thorne) and Thorne Street (Ray to School Street) — 20 mph; Nettleton Junior High — Ray Street (Willow Road to Donald Street) — 15 mph; Math & Science Academy — Thomas Green Road (Highway 141 to Dan Lee Drive) — 25 mph; Ridgefield Christian School — Casey Springs Road (150 ft east of Sloan Lake Drive to 1,000 ft east of Casey Springs Cove) — 25 mph; International Studies — Raines Street (Richmond to Oak) — 25 mph; Health & Wellness — Rosemont Avenue (James to Roy) — 25 mph; University Heights — Bowling (Kitterman to Aggie) — 15 mph and Aggie (450 ft west of Airport Road to 200 ft west of Lake Drive) — 25 mph; Valley View — Valley View Drive (Thompson to Christian Valley Drive) — 15 mph; Jonesboro High — Main Street (Campus to College Avenue) — 25 mph; Fox Meadow — Fox Meadow Lane (Stadium Blvd to Caraway Road) — 25 mph; Leadership — Washington Avenue (Floyd to Walnut) — 25 mph. The committee heard a question from Councilman MacLean asking why some zones are 15, some 20 and some 25 mph; a city staff member identified as Craig responded that the ordinance is consolidating the streets’ existing signed limits and that no changes to the posted limits were proposed in this ordinance. The item was forwarded to full council by motion and second; the committee chair announced the motion passed without reading a roll‑call tally in committee.

Why it matters

The Wilkins Avenue one‑way would change traffic flow during school hours on a corridor that serves MacArthur Junior High and adjacent neighborhoods; the consolidation ordinance aims to place the city’s school‑zone signs and speed limits in one ordinance for clearer administration and future tracking. Committee members asked about potential inconsistencies (for example, why different school zones carry different speeds) and were told this ordinance preserves existing posted limits while creating a single legal reference for school zones.

What the committee decided and next steps

Both ordinances were forwarded to the full Jonesboro City Council for consideration. The committee did not adopt the measures as final policy; final adoption, any amendments, and official vote tallies will occur at the full‑council meeting.

Votes and formal actions recorded at committee

- Motion to forward Ordinance 25030 (modify Ordinance 24‑037 to make Wilkins Avenue one‑way during specified school hours, effective 01/01/2026): Moved and seconded; outcome: forwarded to full council (committee chair: “That motion does carry”); roll‑call tally not specified in committee record.

- Motion to forward Ordinance 25031 (place various stop signs and consolidate school‑zone speed limits at specified locations): Moved and seconded; outcome: forwarded to full council; roll‑call tally not specified in committee record.

Clarifying notes

- The ordinance reading contained two slightly different end times during the discussion (an early read noted 4:15 p.m. for dismissal window; the ordinance text finalized in the meeting references 4:00 p.m.). The ordinance language that was read to the committee states 2:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. as the dismissal window and sets the effective date as Jan. 1, 2026.

- Committee members and staff said the speed limits in Ordinance 25031 reflect existing posted limits; the ordinance consolidates them rather than proposing new posted speeds.

Sources and provenance

Transcript excerpts supporting this article: - topicintro: block_3 (s=64.635–e=110.79) evidence_excerpt: "We have 2 ordinances to be introduced tonight. First 1 being ordinance 2 5 0 3 0..." - topfinish: block_7 (s=173.91–e=199.14) evidence_excerpt: "That motion That motion does carry and forwards on to full council."