Jonesboro committee forwards police grants, park playground grant, sanitation truck lease and vehicle purchases to full council

The Finance Administration Council Committee in Jonesboro voted on and forwarded four items to the full City Council on routine motion: a Bureau of Justice Assistance grant to equip police vehicles, a Blue and You Foundation grant application for an inclusive playground at Northside Park, a proposed two-year lease financing for five sanitation trucks, and a procurement resolution to buy two police Chevrolet Tahoes with an amended per-vehicle average price.

The committee moved each item to full council for final approval and recorded no public opposition during the meeting.

The committee considered Resolution 2503 to accept a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant for $39,180 to buy laptop computers, printers and scanners for Jonesboro Police Department vehicles. The resolution text notes the grant requires "no local match." The police chief (name not specified) told the committee the city has applied successfully for this BJA award for more than 10 years and that using the grant offsets equipment costs that otherwise would come from the city budget. The committee voted to forward Resolution 2503 to full council.

The committee then reviewed Resolution 2504, a request to apply for a FY2025 Social Determinants of Health grant from the Blue and You Foundation. The city seeks $209,318 to fund inclusive playground equipment at the University Alliance playground in Northside Park. Resolution language authorizes the mayor and city clerk to execute application documents and, if awarded, contracts. The committee voted to forward Resolution 2504 to full council.

Resolution 2508 would authorize the city to enter a two-year lease agreement with RVS Bank for procurement of five heavy sanitation vehicles: three automated side-load trucks, one front-end load truck and one rear-load truck from River City Hydraulics, Inc. Committee members asked several questions about lease terms and costs. A staff member identified as Steve (last name not given) explained the arrangement is a capital lease: "It is technically a capital lease. We own the asset until the conclusion of the lease," and the city will decide at lease end whether to retain the vehicles or return them to the supplier. Committee discussion referenced a quoted interest rate and terms from the proposed financing: a representative noted an interest rate of about 4.89 percent on the quoted package and described that as an aggressive (favorable) government-leasing rate compared with typical market offers. The committee voted to forward Resolution 2508 to full council.

The final substantive item, Resolution 25009, requested a waiver of competitive bidding under Arkansas procurement law and authorization to buy two police-package Chevrolet Tahoes from Superior Auto Group of Siloam Springs, Arkansas. The resolution as presented listed a per-vehicle price of $64,980.12; the committee adopted an amendment to section 1 to read "an average cost of $64,908.12 each." The police chief told the committee the two Tahoes are 2024 models presently on a dealer lot and can be upfitted and delivered in roughly two to three weeks after paperwork is completed; later-ordered 2025 models were described as taking 60–90 days from manufacture to dealer plus additional upfitting time. The committee voted to forward Resolution 25009, as amended, to full council.

Next steps: all four items were forwarded to the full City Council for final action. Committee members and staff also said they plan to provide additional capital-improvement project detail at a future council meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 2503: Accept Bureau of Justice Assistance Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant — $39,180 for police vehicle laptops, printers and scanners. Action: forwarded to full council (motion/second not specified in committee record).

- Resolution 2504: Apply for Blue and You Foundation FY2025 Social Determinants of Health grant — $209,318 for inclusive playground equipment at University Alliance playground, Northside Park. Action: forwarded to full council (motion/second not specified).

- Resolution 2508: Enter two-year lease with RVS Bank for three automated side-load sanitation trucks, one front-load truck and one rear-load truck (vendor: River City Hydraulics, Inc.). Terms discussed as a capital lease; quoted financing rate noted at approximately 4.89 percent. Action: forwarded to full council (motion/second not specified).

- Resolution 25009: Waive competitive bidding and purchase two police-package Chevrolet Tahoes from Superior Auto Group (Siloam Springs) — amended to state an average cost of $64,908.12 each (original figure shown as $64,980.12). Action: forwarded to full council; committee adopted amendment to section 1 to add the average-cost language.

Speakers cited in this report spoke during the committee meeting; quoted material is verbatim where indicated. The committee record shows no formal roll-call vote tallies recorded in the minutes excerpted during the meeting; each item was moved and seconded and the committee chair called for the vote to forward to full council.