Jonesboro committee forwards $500,000 in ARPA humanitarian awards, sends two municipal lien resolutions to full council

The Jonesboro Finance Administration Council Committee voted to forward to the full City Council a resolution awarding $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to local nonprofit organizations and to forward two municipal-lien resolutions for properties at 1104 Pratt Circle and 2016 Cotton Street.

Committee members read and advanced Resolution 25-016, which approves awards from the city's ARPA-funded Humanitarian Outreach Fund and directs the Grants and Community Development Department to process payments. The committee also moved both Resolution 25-012, placing a municipal lien on property at 1104 Pratt Circle for $4,045.33 (owner Claude McDaniel), and Resolution 25-013, placing a municipal lien on property at 2016 Cotton Street for $6,046.23 (owner Michael Bridal), to the full council.

Why it matters: The awards are drawn from $500,000 the City of Jonesboro set aside in a prior action establishing the Humanitarian Outreach Fund (referenced in the resolution as resolution 204-140). The grants are intended to support nonprofit capacity and community services, while advancing city oversight through the CDBG Citizens Advisory Committee's review and recommendations.

Grants staff told the committee that the CDBG Citizens Advisory Committee reviewed applications and scored them after a documentation prescreen. "There were about 28 applications that we received," Grants/Community Development staff said. Committee members asked whether award amounts matched requests; staff said some applicants received full amounts but many received smaller awards so the funding could be spread across multiple organizations. "The amounts were based upon the amount that entities applied for," Alejandra, Grants/Community Development staff, said.

The resolution lists the award recipients and amounts as read to the committee: Jonesboro Disabled Veterans, $5,000; Hope Found of NEA, $20,000; The Dapper Storehouse, $50,000; Jonesboro Business Association, $20,000; Fellowship Bible Church, $20,000; City Youth Ministries, $80,000; Crowley's Ridge Development Council, $49,005; St. Bernard's Foundation, $20,000; Jonesboro Church Health Center, $30,000; El Centro Hispano, $45,005; Family Crisis Center, $65,340; Cost of the Second Judicial District, $12,000; Food Bank of NEA, $50,000; and Girl Scouts of Arkansas, $29,650. The total stated in the resolution is $500,000.

Committee members asked for details about certain projects. Grants staff said many of the larger awards were for construction or accessibility projects; for example, Fellowship Bible Church's award was described as a construction project intended to improve facility accessibility, including ramps. Staff offered to provide further specifics on individual projects to committee members.

Committee members also thanked the CDBG Citizens Advisory Committee for its role. "I know that we express our gratitude to the CDBG committee for going this. It kind of goes above and beyond what they're typically doing," a committee member said.

Formal action and next steps: For Resolution 25-016 the committee moved and seconded the motion to forward the awards list and authorization language to the full council; the committee then recorded the motion to forward. For both municipal-lien resolutions the committee read the titles and moved them to full council. The grants department is authorized to process required documents and payments, and the resolution authorizes the mayor to execute agreements related to the awards.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 25-016: Approve ARPA Humanitarian Outreach Fund awards and authorize the Grants and Community Development Department and mayor to execute agreements. Total awards: $500,000 (see list above). Outcome: forwarded to full council (vote tally not specified in the transcript).

- Resolution 25-012: Place municipal lien on property at 1104 Pratt Circle (owner Claude McDaniel) for $4,045.33. Outcome: forwarded to full council (vote tally not specified in the transcript).

- Resolution 25-013: Place municipal lien on property at 2016 Cotton Street (owner Michael Bridal) for $6,046.23. Outcome: forwarded to full council (vote tally not specified in the transcript).

The committee closed its new-business items and moved into public comment before adjourning.