Jonesboro council keeps millage at 9 mills after public hearing

The Jonesboro City Council voted to keep the 2027 property tax millage at 9 mills following a public hearing in which multiple residents urged the council not to raise property taxes.

Councilwoman Fox moved "to go ahead and keep the mill 2027 property tax mill rate at 9 mil rate, which is the same," and Councilman A. Dixon seconded the motion. After discussion the motion carried and the council announced the millage would remain at 9 mills. City staff had presented alternative options ranging from the rollback rate (8.898) up to 12.5 mills and provided revenue projections for each choice.

The decision followed more than a dozen public comments that emphasized the impact on residents on fixed incomes. "I ask the city council vote no on any uh tax hike," said Bobby Wiggins, a Jonesboro resident who spoke during public comment. City staff had warned that keeping the current rate would still yield additional revenue because assessed values grew this year; staff said staying at 9 mills would produce more revenue than 2025 due to digest growth, while a 10-mill rate would raise roughly an additional $377,738 over last year.

The council left the public hearing open earlier in the evening to allow late-arriving speakers, recessed and later reconvened to complete the vote. No ordinance or tax-adoption language beyond the motion to keep the millage at 9 mills was recorded in the public minutes available in the transcript.