Mayor Copenhaver charts growth, infrastructure and public-safety investments in State of the City
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Summary
Mayor Harold Copenhaver told the Jonesboro City Council on March 3 that the city finished 2025 with roughly $28.1 million in reserves and outlined investments in roads, a new public-safety center, parks and transit as the city plans for continued growth.
Mayor Harold Copenhaver delivered his sixth State of the City address at the March 3 Jonesboro City Council meeting, saying the city’s financial position is solid and outlining projects intended to prepare the city for continued growth.
“We wrapped up 2025 with $28,100,000 in reserves,” Copenhaver told the council, adding that $9,600,000 of that total is required by city policy. He credited the finance team for handling high transaction volumes and for the city’s 15 consecutive clean audits by the Arkansas legislative audit.
Copenhaver said private investment and new industry are fueling jobs, noting the chamber cut ribbons on about 150 new businesses last year and citing a recent announcement of a company referenced in the transcript as “Invo Asian,” expected to bring more than 200 jobs to Jonesboro. He said the city directed reserve dollars to infrastructure, including a planned $5,500,000 public‑safety center and more than $3,000,000 in road overlays from reserves this year.
On public safety, Copenhaver highlighted lower violent‑crime statistics from FBI reporting and credited police and fire leadership for improvements. He also described investments in emergency medical dispatch and said dispatchers answered more than 100,000 calls in 2025.
The mayor described several infrastructure priorities: a funded study and planning for rail crossing improvements, ongoing state Department of Transportation projects (including an airport terminal project and runway work), and a Marion Bury overpass trail connection with Arkansas State University to improve walkability. He also noted parks improvements funded through an Arkansas Parks grant and a $100,000 donation by the Junior Auxiliary for a Northeast Jonesboro park.
Finance and administration details in the address included staff and service metrics: the city processed roughly 107,000 transactions with a small finance staff, managed nearly 5,000 business licenses, budgeted for nearly $100,000,000 in annual revenues and planned around roughly $15,000,000 in capital improvements, according to Copenhaver’s remarks.
The mayor closed by urging public input on Plan Jonesboro, a 30‑year planning initiative, and asked residents to participate in a March 30–April 3 engagement week at the Y. "Jonesboro's future is bright, but we better prepare for it right now," he said.
What happens next: several items Copenhaver described are already in planning or design phases; some will require state or federal funding and further council action. The council moved through routine agenda business after the address.