KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (story courtesy of WVLT) – The Knoxville City Council met Tuesday night and passed a $477.3 million budget proposed by Mayor Indya Kincannon.
The 2025-26 budget prioritizes public safety, core city services and affordable housing, including allocating the following:
- $101.2 million – Fund police officers and firefighters
- $8.2 million – Affordable housing
- $7 million – Makeover of World’s Fair Park Amphitheater
- $1 million – Prevent homelessness and aid those experiencing housing insecurity
Additionally, the city’s property tax rate remains unchanged at $2.1556 per $100 of assessed value.
The budget did not included a proposed half-cent sales tax increase. The first reading for that will come next month. City council will host a workshop to discuss it more on Thursday.
City council also authorized Mayor Kincannon to enter into an agreement with Blue Line Solutions to expand the use of traffic-enforcement cameras to reduce speeding in school zones. Cameras will be enforced at 41 public schools in addition to up to 30 cameras to monitor drivers running red lights and two cameras used to enforce noise violations.
A redevelopment plan for Magnolia Avenue and Chilhowee Park was also adopted, focusing on commercial properties between the Magnolia Avenue Warehouse District and Burlington. It encourages multi-story mixed-use development, restoration and reuse of historic structures and safer connections to schools, parks and public spaces.
Mayor Kincannon was also authorized to enter into an agreement with UT’s Social Work Office of Research and Public Service to conduct a comprehensive assessment of how and why violence is down in the Project TLC zones (East Knoxville, Montgomery Village and Western Heights) after receiving focused attention from City departments and community social service providers.
