2019 Archives for City Government

Change is queen: Kincannon wins, women rule, Recode takes effect, St. Mary’s solidifies.

Knoxville’s 69th mayor took office on Saturday in a ceremony that underscored the growing political power of women in the city.

Knoxville’s first woman mayor is leaving office after eight busy years on a variety of civic fronts.

Outgoing Council members tout pension reform, Recode Knoxville and creating a collaborative culture as signature accomplishments.

Residents, consultants prefer a signal-free solution for the problematic Hall of Fame Drive/North Broadway intersection.

Developers for Standard Knitting Mill pledge to work with the community on mixed-use development.

Knoxville’s mayor-elect blends old hands and new faces as she assembles her administration.

Council votes unanimously to sell property for $1 to the Clayton Family Foundation for its planned science museum.

Volunteer Ministry Center is preparing to open its low-barrier shelter for the homeless as a path to permanent housing.

The City of Knoxville begins a multimillion-dollar project to make Broadway an Accelerated Bus Corridor.

Knoxville Mayor-elect Indya Kincannon and her transition team are preparing for her to take office next month.

The public gets a first glimpse of three options for the interactive science museum philanthropist Jim Clayton is planning to build.

By a razor-thin margin, City Council opted to ease restrictions on development in Knox County’s rural areas.

The Rogero Administration plans to sell a building in East Knoxville to a developer for conversion to studio space for artists and small-scale manufacturers.

LMU plans to start preliminary work on renovating Magdalen Clarke Tower immediately after the holidays.

Between the primary and the general election, some second-place Council candidates made big gains — and one fell just short of a comeback victory.

Knoxville Police Department Officer Dylan Williams’ use of deadly force was justified, District Attorney General Charme Allen determined.

Indya Kincannon received the support of those living closest to the center of the city in her election as Knoxville’s next mayor.

The former school board chair attributed her victory on Tuesday to a message that resonated with city voters.

With wins by three women, including the first black candidate ever elected to a citywide office, the new City Council will be the most diverse in Knoxville history.

Summing up: The city’s mayoral candidates have similar policy stances but different styles.

Knoxville could make Tennessee history by electing the state’s first openly gay mayor, but nobody wants to talk about it.

Matthew Ryerson will be the first new CEO of the local United Way in more than a quarter century.

Knoxville residents often wait months to get bins to participate in the city’s voluntary curbside program.

City Council tackled a zoning conundrum on Tuesday that underscores zoning issues in Fort Sanders.

Candidates for city offices weigh in on consultants’ recommendations for Chilhowee Park and the future of the Tennessee Valley Fair.

Mayor Madeline Rogero’s husband works for a construction company that’s done work on city projects, but experts say firewalls have blocked any potential ethics violations.

A master plan to rejuvenate Chilhowee Park & Exhibition Center would result in saying farewell to the Tennessee Valley Fair.

Mayoral hopefuls Indya Kincannon and Eddie Mannis stressed building relationships during the final scheduled candidate forum.

City Council hopefuls made their case at a forum held just prior to the beginning of early voting in the municipal election.

Knoxville mayoral candidates Indya Kincannon and Eddie Mannis are running a close race for campaign dollars.

As the campaign hits the homestretch, the city’s two mayoral hopefuls engaged voters in a contrasting pair of Q&A sessions.

Mayoral hopefuls Indya Kincannon and Eddie Mannis are making their post-election plans for city government.

The city’s mayoral candidates take different tacks on how they would implement the new zoning ordinance after taking office.

Candidates for city office uniformly express support for public funding at a forum focused on the arts.

City officials attend grand openings of two housing projects aimed at different demographics.

Marshall Stair cast his lot for Indya Kincannon in the mayoral race, but the question is whether his former supporters will follow his lead.

The non-binding resolution doesn’t have the force of law but City Council wants nothing to do with gun shows in public venues.

Parkridge residents voice concerns about using public land for a new permanent supportive housing initiative.

The two candidates for mayor have similar visions for KPD, but differ on how to best accomplish community policing.

Knoxville leaders and candidates are poised to bar gun shows from Chilhowee Park and other city facilities.

A committee is recommending a historic district for a portion of Oakwood in North Knoxville, but not all residents are on board.

Council candidates take different approaches to the city budget at a Town Hall East Forum on Monday.

Candidates join a call to end gun shows at the city-owned Chilhowee Park. Also up for discussion: red flag laws and KPD oversight.

A City Council resolution about police body cams on Tuesday turned into an exploration of a host of issues confronting KPD.

Mayor, police chief, candidates support studying cameras for KPD officers following the death of a hit-and-run suspect.

The outcome of the close City Council At-Large Seat C race could have been different if people who went to vote actually voted in the citywide contest.

A look at how Knoxvillians voted in the mayoral primary shows where the battlegrounds will likely be in the November general election.

In the contest to replace term-limited Mayor Madeline Rogero, Knoxvillians will choose between a businessman and a former school board chair.

A surprise result in the primary for At-Large Seat C leads an interesting set of City Council outcomes.

City Council will vote tonight on the mayor’s choice for the firm to be entrusted with the playground’s legacy.

Every Monday, we give you a rundown of public meetings and civic events.

A record early vote total in the city primary for a new mayor is still just 11 percent of Knoxville’s voters.

Poll respondents think the businessman will finish first in primary voting for Knoxville mayor.

Three candidates will have to overcome a lack of name recognition and campaign funding to have a chance in the city primary.

Mayoral candidates have spent more than $581,000 leading up to the end of early voting in the Knoxville city election.

Plans for the city’s public safety complex at the former St. Mary’s site are firming up with input from the Police and Fire departments.

Knoxville mayoral candidates have complained that service charges not tied to consumption adversely affect low-income residents.

Area residents offer their ideas to improve a busy, hazardous stretch of North Knoxville’s primary thoroughfare.

Council passes the comprehensive and sometimes controversial overhaul of Knoxville’s zoning code.

In a televised forum, Knoxville’s mayoral hopefuls made their cases on the eve of early voting.

Voters can start casting ballots for mayor and four City Council seats today at five locations across Knoxville.

Five candidates in the primary are vying for two general election ballot slots in this contest.

A signed agreement between Jim Clayton and the City of Knoxville brings a state-of-the-art science center closer to reality.

A procedural hiccup prevented City Council from giving final approval to the revision of Knoxville’s zoning code.

Knoxville’s mayoral candidates continued to criticize KUB’s fee structures Monday, but the utility is pushing back against their assertions.

The city’s mayoral candidates took on tough issues at a forum in East Knoxville on Thursday.

City Council has created an exception to accessory dwelling units for more prosperous neighborhoods.

The three leading candidates for Knoxville mayor are mining familiar and sometimes overlapping territory for campaign funds.

Mayor Rogero and Chief Thomas address an Internal Affairs investigation into lewd behavior in the KPD ranks and alleged inaction by supervisors.

After four hours of revisions, City Council approved the proposed new zoning ordinance on first reading.

City candidates talk Recode and other matters at a gathering hosted by the Knox County Republican Party.

City Council could hold the first of two votes on Knoxville’s new zoning ordinance on Tuesday.

With less than two months to go before the primary, each race in the city election has a clear fundraising leader.

Forum shows where City Council candidates unite and where they diverge.

Knoxville’s mayoral candidates see a future built on preserving the past.

For a Throwback Thursday Independence Day, we took a survey of Knoxville celebrations through the decades.

Oakwood-Lincoln Park residents demand action from the city two months after a recycling center blaze.

After three years hosting the USA Cycling championships and a contract for two more years, Knoxville makes a bid to be a bicycling mecca.

Knoxville’s mayoral candidates stake out their positions at a forum organized by the League of Women Voters.

Bringing concerns from some of Knoxville’s poorest neighborhoods into this year’s city elections.

World Refugee Day highlights the challenges and triumphs of displaced people around the globe, including those who have landed in Knoxville.

City Council increased funding for the Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center as the program shifts its treatment focus.

It’s Charles vs. Charles in this year’s race to represent a broad swath of North Knoxville on City Council.

Planning commissioners recommend scaling back proposed restrictions on slope developments.

The race between David Hayes and Janet Testerman is a true example of an insurgent running against the establishment.

Planning commissioners must sign off on the city’s new zoning ordinance before City Council gives final approval.

Knoxville’s mayoral candidates skimmed the surface of their agendas at the first forum to feature all the hopefuls.

The primary contest between Lynne Fugate and Charles Lomax Jr. is a warm-up for the general election.

City Council votes to fund a program aimed at giving sex workers a chance to stay out of jail and get out of the life.

Knoxville City Council loosens some restrictions on home businesses while focusing on neighborhood impacts.

City Council left accessory dwelling units in Recode Knoxville during a meeting lasting more than nine hours on Thursday.

The Tennessee Valley Fair will celebrate its centennial this year as the City of Knoxville makes plans for the future of Chilhowee Park.

Former Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett brings lessons of urban revitalization to Knoxville.

Poet Nikki Giovanni returned to her beloved Mulvaney Street for the unveiling of a plaque honoring her life and work.

Survey respondents say that of the unfinished projects the next mayor will inherit, the redevelopment of the St. Mary’s site should top the priority list.

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero has set new, ambitious goals for the ongoing slashing of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions.

City Council signed off on a tax incentive plan that allows the redevelopment of a downtown block to move forward.

As scooter vendors expand their fleets, Knoxville officials are considering ways to make users aware they can’t ride on sidewalks.

Candidates have filed their petitions for this year’s city election, though one mayoral hopeful was disqualified.

With unemployment low, the City of Knoxville is finding it difficult to fill positions in multiple departments.

After a marathon meeting, City Council members are only halfway through their review of Knoxville’s proposed zoning revision.

Rogero’s last proposed budget as mayor contains a big drop in capital spending, but it’s more of a pause than a trend.

As Council approaches a possible vote on the city’s proposed zoning ordinance, mayoral candidate Eddie Mannis wants to stop it altogether.

A solid majority of Council members wants to postpone next week’s scheduled vote on the city’s proposed zoning overhaul.

City Council approved the purchase of the former St. Mary’s Hospital, though closing won’t happen for months.

Some in Parkridge say the city has not been transparent about plans to transfer Caswell Park property to Volunteer Ministry Center.

The city is in talks with LMU to move its nursing school to the Magdalene Clark Tower at the St. Mary’s site.

A new report shows where investment has displaced low-income residents. In Knoxville, it’s not always where you’d think.

Smoke from a blaze at a North Knoxville recycling facility with a history of recent safety violations forced the evacuation of nearly 100 homes.

KCDC is finalizing its master plan for the Austin Homes makeover, which will feature up to 440 mixed-income apartments.

The Rogero administration is finalizing plans for spending more than $4 million in federal federal housing funds.

Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero’s eighth and final budget contains few surprises.

The leading candidates for Knoxville mayor weigh in on baseball and the budget the winner will inherit after the election.

Mayor Madeline Rogero will unveil her final budget proposal today and likely will announce a solidified agreement on a new safety services complex.

After two decades, the Police Advisory and Review Committee continues trying to build bridges between KPD and the community.

After years of planning, work is set to begin on replacing the West Jackson Avenue ramps to South Gay Street

A dispute over a home design on the South Knoxville Waterfront shows the challenges presented by form-based zoning.

An open house in South Knoxville drew a crowd to scrutinize possible safety improvements to Chapman Highway.

Two mayoral candidates shared their views about architecture, urban design and the ongoing redevelopment of the city.

The Clayton Family Foundation is keeping its options open for the location of a new interactive science museum in Knoxville.

Local officials ask TDOT to move forward with spending $45 million earmarked for improvements to Chapman Highway.

A proposal from mayoral candidate Eddie Mannis draws quick opposition from Indya Kincannon and Marshall Stair.

Residents and public officials clash over wording of a new sign on Magnolia Avenue, with racial history looming in the background.

City Council on Thursday gave planners recommendations for the final draft of the city’s new zoning ordinance.

City Council Movement hopes to build on its lone victory in the 2017 municipal races to develop more political clout.

The Rogero administration and Knoxville Area Transit are contemplating extending the city’s free trolley service to the South Waterfront.

Knoxville transit users can finally use their mobile phones to plan trips and track the progress of buses along their routes.

In a split vote, City Council passed a 14 percent salary boost for the next mayor on first reading.

Facing a persistent staffing shortage, KPD asks for $150,000 over two years to boost officer recruiting efforts.

City Council will consider a proposal to give the next mayor a 14 percent pay boost above Mayor Madeline Rogero’s current salary.

China’s decision to stop importing most recycled materials has affected many American communities, and Knoxville is no exception.

The Planning Commission uses a local subdivision controversy to send a message: Developers should engage neighbors.

City Council on Tuesday approved nearly $600,000 for seven projects aimed at rehabilitating historic structures in Knoxville.

Volunteer Ministry Center, with the help of city taxpayers, wants to establish Knoxville’s first ‘low-barrier’ homeless shelter.

Two-term City Council member Marshall Stair wants to stitch the city together if he’s elected mayor.

The Senate Judiciary Committee agreed to a compromise that allows police oversight committees to go through the courts to use subpoena powers.

In their first joint appearance, four candidates for Knoxville mayor address how they will support entrepreneurism.

Knox Heritage is looking to take on more renovation projects in addition to its advocacy work to save the region’s historic structures.

Public input is helping guide KCDC’s master planning process for mixed-income housing at the East Knoxville site.

City Council approved a pilot program on Tuesday that will allow e-scooter rentals on Knoxville streets.

City Council will consider subsidizing low-income apartments at two Knoxville affordable housing projects.

Indya Kincannon believes her combination of experience and education have prepared her to be Knoxville’s next mayor.

Proposed legislation would require consent from every property owner for zoning plans throughout Tennessee.

Knoxville officials aim to use lessons learned from other cities while designing a pilot program for electric scooter rental businesses.

Knoxville officials share concerns with legislators about bills they fear will take away their independence to find local solutions to local problems.

City officials ask the state Legislature to reject a bill that would strip law enforcement oversight committees of their subpoena powers.

After a battle over the boundaries, City Council votes to establish a hospital district in the historic Fort Sanders neighborhood.

Rogero administration officials say a minor league baseball stadium east of the Old City could link surrounding areas and spawn development.

The pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral notified parishioners of threats he received from a person formerly affiliated with the church.

Like other urban police departments, the Knoxville Police Department is struggling to find enough recruits to fill open positions.

City Council members discussed possible zoning changes for commercial, office and industrial property during a marathon workshop on Thursday.

The agreement ends a months-long dispute over Civil Service rights for the city’s deputy engineering director.

Participants in a design charrette to try out the City of Knoxville’s proposed new zoning code didn’t find any glaring flaws.

Financial disclosures show the 2019 Knoxville mayor’s race will be a three-way battle among well-funded candidates.

Eddie Mannis aims to bring his business acumen and record of community service into the Knoxville mayor’s office.

Delays are running up the cost of intersection improvements at Clinton Highway and Merchant Drive in North Knoxville.

Knoxville officials say converting the Holiday Inn World’s Fair Park to a Marriott would boost business for the convention center.

KCDC presents a plan to create a mixed-income community at one of Knoxville’s oldest public housing projects.

The city’s conversion to LED streetlights is only about one-fifth of the way toward completion but it’s already resulting in savings.

Knoxville City Council’s four freshman female members reflect on their historic first year in office.

The Community Cat Diversion program aims to reduce the feral cat population over the long term without resorting to euthanasia.

City Council is ready to vote on land and easement acquisitions for long-awaited Sevier Avenue improvements.

The Rogero administration plans to work with Knox Heritage to preserve the oldest building on the St. Mary’s Hospital campus.

The Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission approves the comprehensive revision of the city’s zoning ordinance. Next stop: City Council.

Planning commissioners are poised to send their recommendation for the overhaul of the city’s zoning ordinance to City Council.

The Rogero administration has agreed to buy the North Knoxville hospital site for $1 while offering up to $16 million in tax breaks to Tennova for Middlebrook Pike developments.

As the end of her second term approaches, Knoxville’s mayor plans to start new projects for her eventual successor to complete.

Knoxville voters will select a new mayor and four new Council members, but other changes will also help reshape the city in the future.