Long-time collector Sharp retires after 38 years; Moss to take position
Becky Sharp, who has served as City Collector for the past 38 years, is retiring as the longest tenured Municipal Center employee at the end of the week.
Her assistant, Tosha Moss, has been chosen to take over the position and will begin in the role Monday.
Sharp began in the Collections Department in 1981, when Jonesboro’s population was 31,530. Today, as Jonesboro exceeds 77,000, Sharp has adapted through the years to changes in technology as well as the booming numbers of residents she has had to serve.
She recalls having to be her own tutor as a matter of routine.
“You just keep changing with the job,” she said. “You move on from outdated procedures and learn the news ones.”
Mayor Harold Perrin said Sharp did her job with courtesy and professionalism, “and I don’t know if the job today looks much like what it was when she started.
“But we will truly miss Becky. And I’m really glad that we have such a first-class employee as Tosha Moss to replace her from within.”
Sharp said she enjoyed her years in civil service but will enjoy her retirement, as well.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here,” she said. “It’s been good, and I have seen lots of changes. Lots more money; lots more bills.”
Sharp is Jonesboro born and raised, and will enjoy her retirement with friends and family, including daughter Bridgette Cossey Craig, grandson Kale Cossey, and step grandchildren Pirece and Eli Craig.
Moss, who has worked with the City for more than six years, has served as Sharp’s assistant since 2015. The Collections office is the first stop for every payment made to the City of Jonesboro.
“These ladies are known by so many people around the city, and they’re the face of city government to a lot of people who come to pay bills at the Municipal Center,” Perrin said. “So they are good ambassadors for all we do.”
Moss was raised in Tuckerman and has lived the past 17 years in Jonesboro. She has two daughters, Aisley, 12, and Fynnley, 10.
“I am proud of our City of Jonesboro family, and especially my time learning from Becky,” Moss said. “The work of this department has grown as the city has grown, and it takes a lot to manage all we handle. Becky was a wonderful leader, and I can only hope to fill her shoes adequately.”