Knoxville City Council Regular Meeting - February 24, 2026

The Knoxville City Council met on February 24, 2026 at 3:15 PM (with all nine members present) to consider a range of agenda items. The meeting opened with an invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by approval of the February 3 meeting minutes and the consent calendar. Council added a resolution (9M) to confirm Angela Dennis to the board of Knoxville Community Media. Notable discussions centered on the $140,000 Community Safety and Empowerment Grants (item 12C), which passed 8-1 after a motion to postpone was withdrawn. Several other routine resolutions were approved without dissent. Public forum featured two speakers addressing homelessness and unemployment.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the February 3 meeting were approved unanimously.
• Consent Agenda: A motion to approve the consent agenda was made, seconded, and passed without discussion. (Specific items on the consent agenda were not listed in the transcript.)

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 12C – Community Safety and Empowerment Grants: Three speakers addressed council in favor of the resolution:

  • Tanisha Baker (1036 Pleasant O'Lane, Knoxville) praised the intentional and thorough grant review process, emphasized that equity means attending to individual needs, and called the grants a long-term community stabilization strategy.
  • Cynthia Finch (201 Delta Road, Knoxville) thanked the city and described her organization’s Health Career Expansion Initiative, which uses robots and demonstrations to broaden youth awareness of healthcare careers beyond doctor/nurse.
  • Sam Brown (2744 Selma Avenue, President of Knoxville NAACP) provided context on low voter turnout in local elections, noted the NAACP’s constructive engagement with the city (including advocacy for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the Equity and Restoration Task Force), and urged council to support the grants to strengthen civic literacy and participation.

• Public Forum (after agenda items):

  • Vivian Scheife (Knoxville 37914) urged council to allocate recurring funds for homeless services, noting that warm weather should not distract from the need to help the most vulnerable, and asked council to “walk the talk” at the March 3 meeting.
  • Joe Cronick (2045 Staff Drive, Mascot) discussed the need to organize day laborers and homeless individuals for work, proposing a union-based approach to provide dignity and employment through community projects like street and park cleaning. He noted his own recovery from addiction and his desire to start small.

Discussion Items

• Addition of Agenda Item: Councilmember Parker moved to add a resolution (9M) appointing Angela Dennis to the board of directors of Community Television of Knoxville (now Knoxville Community Media) so she could participate in an upcoming board meeting. The motion was accepted without objection; item 9M was added.

• Mayor’s Report:

  • Thanked council for the February 21 budget retreat; presentations and the mid-year budget report are online at the city website.
  • Announced the KFD recruit graduation on February 27 at 6 PM at Fulton High School and a KFD recruitment fair on February 25 at the Knoxville Expo Center.
  • Celebrated the Sono Rail-to-Trail ribbon cutting on February 26 at 1 PM behind Kern’s Food Hall, a 3.8-mile connector from Chapman Highway to Ijams Nature Center, developed in partnership with Gulf & Ohio Railways and Legacy Parks.
  • Highlighted the Youth Mental Health Summit on February 28 (10 AM–3 PM at Emerald Youth Haslam Sansum Complex) led by the Mayor’s Youth Council.
  • Reminded attendees of decorum rules and the requirement to sign up to speak before 4 PM.

• Committee Reports:

  • Vice Mayor Fugit announced an Audit Committee meeting on February 25 at 3 PM and a City Council workshop on February 26 at 6 PM (after the 1 PM ribbon cutting).
  • Councilmember Honeycutt reported attending his first Pension Board meeting as a new member, praising staff and committee management.

• Council Announcements:

  • Councilmember Grant offered condolences for former Commissioner Diane Jordan, with community visitation/funeral on February 28 at Overcome Believers Church.
  • Councilmember Honeycutt reminded the public to provide feedback on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan (deadline March 1 at playknoxvilletn.com), welcomed UT Baker School students, and thanked his wife Amy on their wedding anniversary.
  • Councilmember Parker provided an update on the warming center policy resolution, noting it was not on tonight’s agenda but will be on March 3, and that it is a starting point for conversation, not a final policy.

• Item 12C – Community Safety and Empowerment Grants (Resolution authorizing $140,000 to 11 organizations):

  • Postponement Motion: Councilmember Grant moved to postpone the item to March 17, citing several questions: lack of clarity on total funds distributed through the African American Equity Restoration Fund since 2020 ($300,000 in grants to date, per Ms. Middlebrook); whether non-grant city investments (e.g., a new fire station, Chih-hua Park improvements) count toward the $100 million commitment; and the need for a public meeting with the Equity Task Force.
  • Tanisha Baker (chair of the task force) responded that the $100 million was a commitment to seek funding, not a dedicated fund; the federal Reconnecting Communities grant ($46.2 million) was rescinded; and she is open to holding a public meeting before the next grant cycle in November.
  • Mayor Kincannon clarified that the 2020 resolution directed the city to pursue grants and complement investments, not to spend $100 million from the general fund.
  • Councilmember Parker raised concerns from a recent audit about grant processes to nonprofits, but noted the Audit Committee meeting the next day would address broader issues; she did not support postponement.
  • Several council members (Adams, Fugit, DeBartheleman, Thomas) expressed confidence in the current process and the organizations already selected, but welcomed future discussions on transparency.
  • Councilmember Grant ultimately withdrew his motion to postpone after receiving assurances of a future public meeting. The second (Councilmember Lloyd) also withdrew.
  • Vote: The resolution passed 8-1 (Councilmember Grant opposed).

• Other Resolutions (all passed unanimously):

  • Item 9B: Reappointment of Ellen Lee and George Anna Yarbrough to the Knox County Board of Equalization.
  • Item 9M: Confirmation of Angela Dennis to the board of community television (now Knoxville Community Media).
  • Item 9D: Youth violence prevention week microgrants totaling $23,950 to eight organizations.
  • Item 9E: Engineering contract with CDM Smith for East Greenway Drive Bridge Replacement ($419,400).
  • Item 9F: 2026 resurfacing phase one with Rogers Group Inc. ($5,020,000).
  • Item 9G: Amendment to 2024 sidewalk replacement contract with Whaley Construction (increase of $62,685.60, new total $1,055,180.60; completion extended to February 28, 2026).
  • Item 9H: Lease agreement with Goodwill Industries for recycling drop-off centers ($50,000 annually).

Key Outcomes

• Votes:
  • Item 12C (Community Safety and Empowerment Grants) passed 8-1.
  • All other agenda items passed unanimously without recorded dissent.
• Directives & Next Steps:
  • Councilmember Grant and the African American Equity Restoration Task Force agreed to hold a public meeting to discuss the grant process and transparency before the next grant cycle (expected November 2026).
  • The Audit Committee will meet on February 25 to review grant-related audit findings and processes.
  • The City Council workshop on February 26 will include potential discussion on improving grant procedures.
  • Councilmember Parker’s resolution on warming centers will be on the March 3 agenda.
  • The Mayor’s Youth Council will host the Youth Mental Health Summit on February 28.
  • Public forum comments on homelessness and employment will inform future council actions.