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Jonesboro council sets advertised millage rate at 12.5 ahead of FY27 budget hearings
Summary
At its July 13 meeting the Jonesboro City Council voted to set the advertised FY27 millage rate at 12.5, a published rate that will be used for statutory notices and public hearings in September. Staff will calculate the rollback figures and present hearings on Sept. 16 and Sept. 23.
The Jonesboro City Council voted July 13 to set the city's advertised millage rate for fiscal 2027 at 12.5.
The council discussed several possible published rates during a wide-ranging budget conversation, with staff noting that the advertised figure is the ceiling the council cannot exceed without additional public notices. City Manager Cole and finance staff said they would calculate the exact rollback percentage and provide required examples for the public-advertising notices.
Mayor Pro Tem Miller and several council members debated the balance between transparency and flexibility. "I don't think we have to jump to 15," the mayor pro tem said during discussion, urging restraint while giving staff room for analysis. Opponents of a higher published rate said large advertised numbers can worry residents even when the final adopted rate is lower.
Adopting 12.5 as the published rate triggers the statutory notice process. Staff told the council the formal public hearings on the millage rate are scheduled for Sept. 16 and Sept. 23; the rollback calculation and an example showing how the proposed rate would affect the average home will be provided before those hearings.
What happens next: finance will compute the rollback rate and provide the required notice language and comparative numbers ahead of the September hearings. Council members said they expect additional budget discussions and a scheduled opportunity to meet with department heads in late July or early August.
