The Jonesboro Finance Administration Committee moved Resolution 24182 to the full City Council on Tuesday, advancing an intergovernmental agreement with Craighead County to house city prisoners for 2025.

Chair read the draft agreement, which in the text specifies a monthly figure shown as $190,432.6 for the period Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2025, and authorizes the mayor and city clerk to sign the agreement. A staff representative told the committee the fee was calculated using the county’s improved headcount and occupancy data and that city representatives and other mayors had reviewed the approach.

During public comment, Garrett Barnes, a justice of the peace who said he serves a district within Jonesboro, asked whether the proposed fee is proportionate to rates other cities in Craighead County are paying and requested a brief explanation of the calculation. A staff speaker replied the fee was presented as consistent with other cities and based on an average headcount over a 12-month period; staff also said the fee is subject to county adjustment if occupancy assumptions change.

Why it matters: Intergovernmental detention agreements carry material fiscal implications for municipal budgets and can affect jail capacity and costs for cities in a countywide context. Committee discussion focused on the methodology used to set the fee and on ensuring Jonesboro is treated proportionately relative to peer cities.

What’s next: The committee forwarded Resolution 24182 to the full council for final action. The transcript does not record a final vote tally at the committee level; staff indicated the fee can be adjusted if the county revises its occupancy assumptions.