Jonesboro council suspends outside probe for eight days after mayor alleges unauthorized investigation

The Jonesboro City Council voted 4–3 on Dec. 1, 2025, to suspend for eight days the investigation being conducted by the law firm Hall, Booth & Smith after the mayor entered a statement into the official record alleging procedural and legal irregularities in the engagement.

The mayor read a prepared record saying the city’s review of documents and emails showed that Mayor Pro Tem Tracey Messick had retained outside counsel before a council vote and that the engagement letter dated Oct. 22, 2025, authorized an investigation broader than the ordinance the council later signed. “This makes the engagement void and misuse of public funds,” the mayor said, and announced she would seek a temporary restraining order and preserve communications and records for legal review.

Mayor Pro Tem and supporters disputed the characterization. “All proper steps were followed in proceeding with this investigation,” one council member said, urging council members to review the investigator’s requests and correspondence before taking further action. The investigator’s billing estimate, discussed in the meeting, was described as “between $50,000 and $100,000,” and staff warned that third‑party redaction and data extraction could add to costs.

Councilors debated immediate remedies, including whether to (a) halt the investigation by ordinance or resolution, (b) set a cap on billable work during any pause, and (c) allocate funds to provide outside counsel for staff who may be interviewed. One council member proposed an eight‑day ordinance to suspend the investigation while members and counsel review the engagement letter, the investigator’s records request (34 listed items), and potential cost implications. A motion to suspend Hall, Booth & Smith’s work for eight days was made from the dais and, after debate, passed 4–3.

The motion did not explicitly list a financial cap on hours or fees for the pause; council members discussed options for limiting billable work and for directing the city attorney to instruct the investigator to remain within the ordinance’s scope, which the ordinance authorizes to examine financial transactions between the city and the Downtown Development Authority for specified dates. Council also asked the city attorney to request from the investigator a list of which council members or staff he had contacted.

The council’s recorded action was limited to the eight‑day suspension to allow review and possible further direction. No final determination of legal liability or authority was made at the meeting; the mayor indicated she would pursue injunctive relief if the council does not resolve the matters raised. The council asked staff and counsel to compile and circulate the relevant engagement materials and billing records before reconvening.