Good evening.

It's 6 01 p.m.

I'd like to call this meeting to order.

We'll start with an invocation led by Vice Mayor Fugitt, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Grant.

Please rise as you're able.

Oh holy one, we gather today in the spirit of fellowship, service, and goodwill.

Thank you for the opportunity to work together towards making a positive difference in our community.

Bless each person here with wisdom to make sound decisions, compassion to serve with open hearts, encourage to act with integrity.

May our discussions today be guided by respect, unity, and a shared vision for a better tomorrow.

Grant us the joy of friendship, the strength to persevere, and the humility to serve selflessly.

Amen.

Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it stands.

Okay, Mr.

Johnson, would you please call roll?

Councilwoman Adams.

Here.

Councilman Debarta Laban.

Here.

Vice Mayor Fugit.

Here.

Councilman Grant.

Here.

Councilman Helsley.

Here.

Councilman Honeycott.

Here.

Councilman Lloyd.

Here.

Councilwoman Parker.

Here.

And Councilman Thomas.

All members are present, Mayor.

Okay, thank you.

Next is the approval of the minutes from our February 17th meeting.

Is there a motion?

Motion made to approve and seconded.

Any questions or discussions?

Seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

Are there any items to be withdrawn from tonight's agenda?

Are there any items to be postponed for tonight's agenda?

Councilmember Adams.

Yes, I'd like to postpone item 13W for two weeks.

This is the alley closure.

Okay.

Motion's been made to postpone for two weeks.

Item 13W, as in Walter.

And I should clarify this is uh at the request of the applicant.

At the request of the applicant.

That's been motion to postpone for two weeks has been made and seconded.

Any questions or discussion?

Seeing none, uh Councilmember Thomas, yours is not for this item, right?

Yeah.

Council uh seeing none, all those in favor of this two-week uh postponement of item 13W, please say aye.

Any opposed?

Motion to postpone carries.

Councilmember Thomas.

Uh yes.

Um I would like to move to postpone item 11e.

And uh for two weeks.

Uh the reasons being that uh this is quite complicated.

Uh we've got a pretty extensive packet that came up from the planning commission.

I received some more information today from one of the attorneys making his legal arguments.

I haven't had time to review it.

And then the second reason is which we always try to um encourage is I would hope that the parties would make more efforts to try to at least come to whatever uh agreements that they could, if not resolve this completely.

So hope springs eternal on that, but I would like to uh make a motion to postpone for two weeks.

Okay, motion's been made to postpone item 11e for two weeks.

Is there a second to this motion?

Second.

Motion's been seconded.

Um any discussion on the motion to postpone item 11e for two weeks.

Uh yes, Mayor, as a as a courtesy.

Um, my latest understanding was that uh one of the the um applicant actually, or the appellant, I should say uh has no objection to the postponement.

I understand that Mr.

Mullins, who represents the other party, may want to be heard.

Um Mr.

Mullins, uh, would you like to uh address counsel not on the appeal but on the postponement measure to the motion to postpone?

Yes, I appreciate uh Commissioner Thomas giving me that that opportunity.

Uh most of the time I would agree with you that this this should be postponed.

Uh I think we didn't get the uh uh word that this may be postponed until about 3 30 this afternoon.

I know Mr.

Hamilton's done a lot of work on it.

Uh I've done a lot of work on it.

Um and this is one where you know I I I understand Hope Spring Springs eternal, but uh before the planning commission meeting, I understand there was the applicant, my side reached out to the neighborhood, wanted to have meetings, know they are having meetings about it, and we're not invited to those meetings, and and I just don't know if there is an opportunity to reach a compromise on this one, and a lot of people come out here tonight.

I I would respectfully ask that we move forward tonight if if at all possible.

Okay.

Um I will address uh the first thing you mentioned first.

It was my understanding, actually, and I talked to uh people in the Norwood Association at the planning staff meeting, and they didn't get any notice uh that it was on the agenda, and they were calling me two or three days before, trying to reach out.

Uh they made an effort to try to get it postponed at the commission meeting, which was uh basically uh refused by by care cuts, and they wanted to meet at that time.

I I think there's a lot of people are interested in this.

I think we were reaching out to the Norwood community themselves, they have the community association meetings, and we were told not to come to the meetings, even though we asked to.

Yeah, my understanding that was after the fact, and that the Norwood community said don't come to this this next one.

They wanted to meet privately, but I never understood that they were closing the door at all to have any further meetings.

And I had a different understanding to that, and I think that's the question.

Well, and we can we can agree to have different understandings.

What I'm saying is we can start anew right now, and I would encourage the parties to within the next two weeks to make some abilities, at least if nothing else, just to try to discuss and get a better understanding of the concerns on each side.

And I I can tell you right now, both of these parties have really valid concerns.

I I uh respect care cuts a lot, and I've had a long relationship with them.

Also, I'm very familiar, of course, with the neighborhoods up in that area, and uh they have valid concerns as well.

So um I would encourage, even though this is wasn't done, where I would have preferred that it was done at the planning commission stage.

Uh I would like uh them to make an effort, an extra effort to at least speak together within the next two weeks.

Uh sometimes it's possible if not, but uh Hope Springs eternal, as some people say.

And then uh my other point though is because of, as I mentioned, um when I made the motion, this is some pretty complex legal stuff.

And uh there's a pretty extensive packet that came up from the Planning Commission, and this is the first setting on it.

And um Mr.

Mullins, I only got your brief uh which lays out your argument this morning, and I haven't had time to read it.

And I don't think you want to go forward when I actually haven't had time to review even material that you sent.

And I'll tell you the thing, Mr.

Frost will agree.

He's told me not to send any materials, written materials until the morning of uh of the meeting, or I would have sent it earlier.

I think that's been the the normal practice in administrative hearings, or I would have given it to you earlier, Commissioner.

It's unfortunate that for some reason there's a rule that I can't get information I need to, or the other council members, not just me, can't get information we actually need and have time to process it before we have to make a decision.

I'm not arguing that point with you.

I would agree with you on that, but um I I do as I told on that point.

Okay.

Well, um I will stand with my motion to postpone for two weeks, and uh for the reasons I gave, and I think interest to justice and good policy would uh serve us well to give us some time to reflect on this.

Thank you.

Thank you for the opportunity to be heard.

Thank you, Councilmember Thomas.

Um I'm not sure who you are, but there's been not a question posed to you just yet.

So uh if you could just stand back for a minute.

Yes.

Uh this is the gentleman that you want to uh please turn you.

This is the gentleman I think that's representing the Norwood Association.

I'm David Hamilton.

David Hamilton.

The appellant and part of this.

And I will agree to let him speak.

Okay.

Mr.

Hamilton.

Just one minute.

One, uh Debbie Phillips, our president has been in the hospital for almost a month, going on uh six weeks, which is not good.

However, we're move we're willing to work with Charlie.

We trust him, and uh his request.

We've actually followed that advice in the past and found a solution for the apartment complex that's at the end of uh pleasant ridge or uh merchants uh at near the intersection with Pleasant Ridge.

And uh that work was successful, so we uh we respectfully would ask you guys to consider his request appropriately.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Grant.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um I just want to um first and foremost uh say thank you to my colleague Charles Um, you know, for being involved in this.

Um but as I look out into the to the crowd, um I see a lot of care cut supporters um who've taken the time to to come here tonight.

Um civil engagement is definitely a privilege for most individuals, and so um before I mean I would ask before we do decide, I would like the opportunity to hear um from those care cut uh individuals who who have signed up today uh in support.

Um as council members as Charles uh councilman Thomas mentioned, we don't have the opportunity to really hear um from community members as as often as we would like, and so I would at least want to take um the time to give these these community members a chance to to speak.

Thank you, uh Mr.

Grant.

Uh just for point of order right now what the motion on the floor is to whether or not to postpone this appeal for two weeks.

Um we aren't supposed to be discussing the merits of the appeal.

I do see um people in the audience who are here for this matter, and just as a another reminder, if we when this is discussed on council, um there's a very structured way that it's discussed per council rules and per state law.

So um, you know, that's 15 minutes maximum of five persons may speak, no more than three minutes each, and so forth.

So just a reminder that's the way it will be.

Uh Mr.

Frost, you want to thank you, Mayor.

I was gonna say the uh the mayor uh is correct.

The only motion on the floor is a motion to postpone.

Also, in terms of individuals who have signed up, it's only the parties who have signed up, and we have both heard from uh Mr.

Mullins and Mr.

Hamilton about uh the postponement.

They did not discuss the merits of it, they stuck to the motion on the floor councilmember de Barter Laban.

Um I uh Councilman Thomas, what I am hesitant about is I don't know what new evidence is gonna come to light.

There was an initial meeting uh in January where this went before planning commission, and I think that the appeal was made around February the 8th, and here we are March the 3rd, and I feel like I feel like we have a pretty clear understanding of going back and reading the transcript script of what we're gonna be voting on as a body about planning commission's decision.

And unless there's a an appetite for a compromise different than what is coming before tonight, I don't know that two more weeks is gonna help either party.

So council member Hesley I just want to make the point too that this was recommended by planning staff as well as unanimously passed by planning commission.

So there's not a whole lot of I mean that's usually the guidelines people use, but just for point of records, thank you.

Okay, the motion on the floor.

Oh, Councilmember Honeycutt.

Sorry.

I do I didn't want to just thank Councilman Thomas as well.

And um the on sensitive topics like this, I defer to the judgment of the district representative who's in touch uh closely with his constituents.

So uh I will support uh councilman Thomas on this okay.

Any other discussion on the motion to postpone this item?

Seeing none, all those in favor please say aye.

All those opposed say no.

I think the motion carries.

Yep.

Okay, the items is postponed for two weeks.

Uh we will not be discussing it any further at this juncture.

For those of you who came for this item, you um feel free to leave and thank you for your participation.

Okay.

Um are there any other items to be postponed?

Are there any items to be added by motion?

Okay.

Next we have uh memorials.

And Mr.

Johnson, if you could please read item twelve F.

Twelve F as a resolution honoring the memory of Diane Jordan and to express City Council's condolences to her family upon the occasion of her passing.

Let's take a minute to let these people uh members of the audience.

We're moving on to our agenda.

So if you have conversations, please take it outside the room.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

We'll just uh pause for just a minute while they exit the room so we have the ability to have this next conversation in uh peaceful way.

Okay.

Uh is uh is there a motion on this item, please move to approve.

Move to approve.

Okay, motion's been made and seconded.

Um and we will go ahead and vote on it and then uh ask Councilmember Grant to please read it to honor um this wonderful member of our community, Diane Jordan.

Uh so all those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries unanimously.

Uh Councilmember Grant, if you could share um this with the members of the family and the rest of us, we'd love to hear it.

Thank you, Mayor.

Council of City of Knoxville resolution, a resolution of the city of Knoxville honoring the memory of Diane Jordan, and to express City Council's condolences to her family upon the occasion of her passing.

Whereas Diane Jordan was born in Knoxville, March 9th, 1947, and whereas raised in Knoxville, she was a 1965 graduate of Austin High School and later attended Knoxville College and Tennessee State College, where she majored in mathematics.

Whereas for 22 years, she was a reservationist for Delta Airlines, where she was known for her wit and humor, and where she was the first African American woman elected to Knox County Commission, where she served four terms from 1994 to 2007, advocating for education, economic equity, and voting rights.

And where she was instrumental in bringing Pelissippi State College campus to Magnolia Avenue, where she served on numerous boards and was active in the community, including the Bet Culture Exchange Center, the Austin Austin East Association, the Red Hat Society, Concerned Mothers, Motley Crew Community Luncheon, and others, and where she devoted decades of service to the betterment of not of the Knoxville community, and where she demonstrated steadfast leadership, advocacy, and commitment to expanding opportunities for all residents, and where she set examples of courage, integrity, public leadership that have inspired multiple black women and men to pursue elected office and devote time and energy to civic engagement.

And whereas her legacy and honest and as an honest leader and style will continue to shape lives of friends, family, and future leaders of Knoxville.

And whereas a woman of faith, one of her most cherished roles was serving First Lady of Peace and Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church alongside her husband for 31 years.

And whereas Diane Jordan passed away on February 8th, 2026, leaving to mourn her leaving to mourn her passing her husband, sons, sisters, grandchildren, and many, many family members, all who will miss her.

Now therefore, be it resolved by the council of the City of Knoxville, Section One.

The Council of the City of Knoxville wishes to honor the life and achievements of Diane Jordan and to express to members of her family its sincere condolences upon the occasion of her passing.

Section two, this resolution shall take effect from and after its passage.

The welfare of city requires it.

Signed by Mayor India Kincani, adopted March 3, 2026.

Thank you so much, uh, Councilmember Grant.

Uh your predecessor can't yes, I think.

Council um councilman former council member and vice mayor Gwen McKenzie had signed up to speak in favor of this, and I neglected to call her before you voted on it.

So if you wouldn't mind, um Ms.

McKenzie, uh please uh if you could share a few comments with us before we move on to the next item.

Thank you, Mayor and Council members.

Boy, the view's different from out here.

I found myself wanting to say uh yes.

Thank you all so much uh for this tribute to Commissioner Jordan and to Councilman uh Grant for bringing this before you guys.

Um such a wonderful tribute to an amazing person who was highly respected and admired, not just in the government realm, but in the community, the city and the county at large, breaking glass ceilings, as you guys have read her history, but she did so much more than that because she knew that in order to get things done during the time that she was governing, that you had to work across the Isles to make things happen, and she was so good at that.

There's one picture of her that I saw uh when I was working with her family and uh on our program, and Mayor, she was actually standing on the table there.

And I said no one else could get away with that except Commissioner Jordan.

Uh but she ruled uh and governed with class, with dignity and respect for all people, again, working across the house to make things happen and making some great movement in this city.

And so again, I just wanted to thank you all for this tribute, thank our family for sharing her with us, and for you all being here today.

Thank you guys.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Um, and thank you to the family.

We appreciate you taking the time to be here and and sharing Diane with us all these many years.

Um we appreciate it.

Moving along to the more mundane items of city business.

Uh the consent agenda.

Is there a motion on the consent agenda?

Move to approve.

Second.

Motion made to approve and second at any questions or discussions.

Seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

Okay, time now for my mayor's report.

Um, first, I want to thank everyone who was able to make it out to Friday's launch of the rails to trails in South Knoxville.

This project is a perfect example of what can happen with planning, collaboration, and a ton of community support.

It's a three point eight mile trail and art walk, and it will become another unique destination in our city.

And I'm very excited to see this come to fruition.

So thank you, everyone, from the many years of work that went into that.

Thank you to the Clausen family and legacy parks also for partnering with the city.

It's gonna be amazing.

I also want to thank the Mayor's Youth Council, Emily Norris, and Empower Knox and everyone who works so hard to support the Youth Mental Health Summit this past weekend.

The mental health guides that were handed out Saturday are now available online.

They're really good.

Um the content is good, the design and accessibility is good.

It's um they're different ones for different groups, uh ages, and I hope that you will share them with people who might find them helpful.

Uh it's under the Empower Knox on the city's website.

Another important announcement, which I I know uh you've read about uh through emails, um, is the creation of the Chihuahua Park Advisory Group.

As promised, we are moving forward towards a community-driven future for Chihuahua Park.

And as I have mentioned, I but keep wanting to remind people and mention it again.

Um, I am going to be proposing $10 million for Chihuahua Park improvements.

That's gonna be $2 million a year for five years.

Um, but I do not have a set plan for what it should be spent on or how it should be invested.

And that's one of the things that I want this uh Chihuahua Park advisory group to help help us think through the future vision for all of Chihuahua Park.

Um this model worked really well on the South Waterfront Advisory Group.

And Councilmember Grant and I have had um extensive discussions about this, and I appreciate his insights and suggestions.

And last week we just wanted to give the invitees uh plenty of advanced notice so they can clear their schedules.

Um so we invited members of the community who are gonna participate in this.

Um councilmember Grant is obviously gonna be an active part of this.

Councilmember Helsley also said she wants to participate.

Um so they are uh definitely participating, but all of council is welcome to come to the meetings as our members of the public.

Uh this is not just a small little pocket park, it's a regional destination, has a lot of history and a lot of importance in our community.

That first meeting will be Tuesday, March 24th.

That's a Tuesday that's not a council meeting, obviously, from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Jacob Building.

And all meetings will be open to the public, and I encourage you to attend as you're able.

More uh in the more nearer future, this Thursday, KPD will celebrate another 23 recruit graduates, and 11 are from the Knoxville area, and we're very excited to be welcoming these new individuals to join our police department.

And this will this is part of what represents our fully staffed police department for the first time in many, many years.

Um, very grateful to Chief Noel and all the members of KPD who were involved with that recruitment.

I know it's a team effort and shout out to our HR department and civil service and everybody else who helps uh make those things possible.

The graduation ceremony begins at 6 p.m.

at Severe Heights Church, and everyone's invited to attend.

Um I want to remind everybody about our rules of decorum.

We are here to do the city's official business.

Those who wish to speak, either to a specific agenda item or during public forum, need to sign up with the city recorder before 4 p.m.

Do not use profanity.

And when speaking to specific agenda items, you must stay on topic.

Remarks must be germane to the question ahead of the assembly.

That is, statements must have bearing on whether the pending motion should be adopted.

Those who fail to adhere to these rules will be ruled out of order.

For those who are listening, please note if you disrupt a public meeting, you will be asked to leave or escorted out.

I appreciate and advance everyone's respect for these rules.

That concludes my mayor's report.

Oh, do you have it?

Okay, next item is reports of committees or council members.

Are there any reports of committees from council members?

Okay.

Uh are there any general council member announcements?

Councilmember Honeycutt.

Yes, thank you.

Uh, just wanted to let my colleagues know and the public that I'll be bringing a resolution forward to hopefully be on the agenda for the next meeting.

Uh might be the March 31st, depending on everything.

Uh honoring honor air.

Uh Honor Air is a great organization that's been in our community serving veterans since 2007.

They've flown over 4,500 veterans to Washington DC over those years for free to visit the memorials uh that the of for the wars that they were part of.

Uh hopefully they will be here, uh assuming we have your support uh on March 17th to accept that award or that to be honored with that resolution.

So I invite the public to be part of that if you're interested, and of course, hope uh that between now and the next meeting uh we'll receive your support.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Councilmember Thomas.

Uh yes, a very prominent citizen of Lundsdale uh recently celebrated their 100th birthday, Miss Lois LaFleur, who had been an educator for many years in the Knoxville public school system, uh, served in various ways uh to help her community, too many actually to list here.

Um she was honored by the city of Knoxville declaring February 23rd, Lois LaFleur Day.

There was a nice um meeting and celebration at Emerald Youth with much more uh oratory, and um just wanted to wish uh Miss LaFleur um happy birthday again and hope she has many many more.

Thank you.

Thank you, Vice Mayor Fugit.

Thank you.

Uh, two quick things just um to let the public know that council will be having its next workshop on Thursday, March 12th in this room at 6 o'clock.

Our topic will be getting reports on um housing from um housing affordable housing primarily and then homelessness.

Um those are topics that uh were important to all council members, and we were picking priorities um for our workshops, um then this one came up.

So happy to have that um at the end of this month.

And then on a lighter note, um, I wish every member uh council a happy birthday, but today I'm going to wish the city recorder, whom we could not function without his birthday is March 13th, so happy birthday, Will.

Thank you, Jackson.

Oh, excuse me.

Um I'm looking at my notes, and my notes said March 26th, but I got so excited about my notes said the 26th.

I got so excited about Will's birthday.

I said March 12th.

It's March 26th.

Sorry.

So the work his birthday is March 13th, and the workshop is March 26th.

I just cut it in half and you know, double whatever.

Okay.

Sorry for all that's why y'all are all looking at me so funny.

Surprise.

No, we're not happy right now.

Okay, thank you so much.

Uh Councilmember Grant.

Um, yes, just a couple announcements.

First, I want to give a shout out to Austin East roll runners as they take on Clinton High School today and um this evening in the regional final.

So definitely want to wish them the uh the best of luck, me and me and Councilman Thomas.

We got a Fulton in Austin East robbery going on.

But uh they're up 2-1.

But we're we're hoping to see them again in the finals.

Um, and then I also want to say happy women's history month.

Uh the month of March is actually uh Yeah.

Um so uh yeah, just you know, thank you to all the women out there who are breaking barriers, uh, Councilwoman Parker, uh former councilwoman Gwynn McKenzie, um, who have broken barriers, um, and just you know, any woman out there that's continuing to uh push and make change.

So thank you.

Councilmember Honeycutt.

Yeah, thank you.

Sorry, I just meant to add that uh honor air's last flight is at the end of March, so they will no longer be uh serving the veterans of our community, so that's why we're bringing the appreciation forward now.

And to add to your uh comment earlier, I do appreciate Vice Mayor organizing the previous workshop we just had regarding the upcoming comprehensive plan.

I think we're all excited to learn more about that and to start this process this summer, which will be entail a lot of community meetings.

So please stay engaged with that.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um moving right along, we'll go to elections and confirmations.

9B is a resolution confirming the nomination of Denzel Grant to serve on the City Council Rules Committee.

Motion made to approve and seconded.

Any questions or discussion?

Seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

Congratulations.

12G is resolution recognizing the tremendous efforts by all in the city to take care of the city's most vulnerable during weather, extreme weather events, and respectfully requesting that the administration in partnership with Knoxville Knox County, Joint Office of Housing Stability and Knox County, analyze the current warming and cooling center model and consider increased funding and support to the city's efforts to provide residents and visitors in need with day and overnight shelter from extreme extreme weather, including when temperatures drop to 32 degrees Fahrenheit, wind chill or reach a heat index of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and to strengthen efforts to provide transportation shelter and other services during extreme weather events.

Motion made to approve and seconded.

Council Member Parker.

Oh, I'm sorry, we have speakers.

We have speakers uh three in favor and one against.

Or it says against with an asterisk.

Okay, we'll start with those in favor.

Maya Robles.

Robles.

If you could come to the podium, say it's your name and address for the record, and you'll have up to three minutes to address counsel.

I think the microphone needs to be turned on.

You'll see a red light.

Um there you go.

You got it.

Maya Robles, 3033 Dow Drive.

I'd like to mention this is my first city council meeting.

I'm pretty happy to be here.

A little nervous to be honest.

Thank you for giving me your time and respect today.

Um I'm a recent UT alum, um, live in South Knoxville.

Um, bike commuter, I got to know my city pretty well by riding a bike, and I started just noticing things around my community, other pedestrians, cyclists, and the unhoused as well.

Um, on the mornings where I'd leave fairly early, I would occasionally bike past this man who would um sleep near the church street church.

And I got used to him being there asleep when I would drive or bike by, and on mornings where I didn't see him when the weather was really cold, I'd worry about him.

Um I learned that the city has warming centers that helps people survive during the cold winters and the hot summers.

Um, however, it pains me to see how the local unhoused populations are also um or often um ignored or feel unheard.

Um the first thing I did when I was um when I volunteered at Vestal United Methodist to volunteer, um, they asked me to sit and listen and talk to the people who were resting there, and many of them didn't have people to turn to or listen to them, so it was very important that I did that.

And I saw that it meant a lot.

Um, and I'd like to see that the city is also doing what they can to listen and um accommodate the needs of the in-house and help them survive during these times.

Um, at Vessel, my tasks included sorting donated items like clothing and other necessities and helping the guests get what they need.

The South Knoxville community generously donated clothing and showed financial support.

Um, and this brought me a lot of hope.

It showed me that the community cares and wants to do something.

I also volunteered at Eternal Life Harvest with the early AM shifts, which primarily involved serving breakfasts, sanitizing tables and cots, removing used beddings, and cleaning the space.

Um cleaning isn't something I'm personally bothered by, but it was a lot of work to be honest, and the emotional work of it all kind of um weighed pretty heavily on me.

Um, there were up to a hundred or hundreds of people sleeping and surviving in this space, and it was hard to not feel for them and worry for their safety during this winter uh freeze.

Um, I learned a lot about um being homeless.

I learned that it was a pretty broad term, and most of them, most of the people had diverse needs and struggles that I was not aware of.

Um many of them expressed their gratitude through um the expression on their faces, their words, and their actions, and I really wish more could be done for them.

Um no one deserves to be treated poorly for their housing situations, much less free to freeze to death on the streets.

Um the 25 degree minimum to me seems inhumane, and I would like to see it bumped up to 20 um 32 um degrees.

Um that I've experienced one season of working in those shelters.

I don't think I could turn my back to this issue, and I'd like to see more support from the city for cooling centers or sorry, warming centers in the winter and cooling centers in the summer, um, especially in this summer to prevent you know dehydration heat-related illnesses.

Um, yeah, so I hope to see how the city and the shelters adapt to improve the organization transportation and logistics and funding, and I'd like to see that the city of Knoxville um would like to help the most vulnerable by supporting these um warming centers and cooling centers.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh next person signed up to speak in favor of item 12G is Linda Conaway.

Ms.

Conaway.

So my call we were full of winning call.

Okay, I understand.

Thanks, buddy.

Uh Ms.

Conaway, uh, thank you for being here.

If you could start by stating your name and address for the record, and you'll have up to three minutes.

Sure.

Linda Conway, and we're operating at 409 North Broadway, right under the Bridge High 40.

Uh, thank you so much for letting me be here this evening to talk about this very important topic, and thank you for bringing up these resolutions.

These are a really, really important start to a deeper conversation that is very uncomfortable to have.

And the first thing I want to say is homelessness is uncomfortable.

Undeniably for the individuals that are experiencing it, but it's also uncomfortable for everybody.

It's uncomfortable to walk past it.

It's uncomfortable to see it.

It's uncomfortable to host it as a city.

As we bring our grandchildren and our children downtown, it's uncomfortable to not understand the full unpredictability of it all.

I come to you today in two capacities.

First, as a representative of the Knoxville-Knox County Homeless Coalition to read a statement supporting the resolutions by Council Member Parker, and also as the leader of Relaunch, which is a nonprofit organization.

We have hosted the seasonal shelter in downtown Knoxville, and we are deeply in support of lifting the resources to help our community shoulder this burden because it should not fall on the few.

This is a much greater need, and to have a voice to finally have it be able to be spread out across the many willing organizations that are available today is so vital to our community.

We have the agencies.

We now need the city to help get behind and remove some of the barriers for these agencies to become installed and do the good work that they can do to be the exits for people experiencing homelessness.

And I'd now like to read a letter from the coalition.

The efforts outlined in this resolution recognize the critical necessity for adequate emergency shelter and resources for individuals experiencing homelessness.

We commend the city for taking the initiative to analyze current warming and cooling center methods and for seeking to increase funding and support for these life-saving efforts.

It's vital that we ensure all residents and visitors have safe, comfortable shelter from extreme weather events, particularly when they are most at risk.

Additionally, we support the proposed amendments to the City Knoxville Code regarding temporary emergency shelters.

Establishing clear regulations will not only enhance our community's ability to respond to emergencies, but also align our efforts with the strategic goals outlined in the Knoxville Knox County Office of Housing Stability Strategic Plan.

This proactive approach is vital for creating a cooperative environment where the needs of those experiencing homelessness are addressed with urgency and compassion.

We urge the city council to pass both resolutions as they lay the groundwork for meaningful changes to our shelter system with the right policies and in support in place, and we can create a safer and more inclusive city for everyone.

Thank you so much for your consideration.

We are all here to support you and let's get uncomfortable and have this conversation.

Next person signed up to speak to this item is Vivian Scheipe.

If you could state your name and address for the record, and then you'll have up to three minutes to address council.

Vivian Scheipe, 3615 MLK, Knoxville 37914.

I come before you because it's budget season.

It's a time to begin to plan for the next year for a city that is blossoming.

Everybody wants to move here.

We are a city of strange seasons.

One week is 25.

The next week, like this one, it'll be 80 by the weekend.

But one constant that does not change in this city is the intentional lack of protection of the unhoused.

They are not protected from the elements on a long-term basis.

That needs to change because 25 degrees kills.

Emergency shelters for extreme cold and heat will keep them from dying on our streets.

Let's put them in the budget and in the planning sessions too.

We're asking you to be the change that we need to see.

We need that decision now, long before the next winter comes.

And it will come.

Let tonight be the last year that we have to come before you to save our brothers and our sisters of these people, our people on these city streets.

You see, we rise together.

And I'll leave you with two things.

Matthew 2540 and Proverbs 1917.

Okay, and one person signed up to speak in opposition to item 12G, Rick Roach.

Mr.

Roach.

Come to the podium, please, and state your name and address for the record.

You'll have up to three minutes.

Um at least not the spirit of the resolution.

I want you all to do what's been asked to be done for over 15 years that I know of and that I've been paying attention and engaged in.

Pay up front.

Pick a number.

Have it be at least 15 million dollars.

You just did something.

10 million dollars for Chihuahua Park, $2 million a year for five years.

Oh, let's do that with the same situation.

Let's do that.

It is that easy.

Um just in case you are very efficient in carrying out a program that I'm assuming is already in place.

You know, you have a little money left over, a little surplus, so what?

It's a good thing.

But pay up front.

Obligated.

Take that leap of faith because at least since 2010, this situation has gotten increasingly worse.

I've been a part of it.

Um I don't want to see anybody else go through what I've seen other people go through.

I've been on both sides.

So with the city continuing to examine and make some progress in affordable housing.

Um there's still a lot of instability out there.

And we know it.

And we know that there are particular trends that are in place that is going to put more pressure on people ending up on the street.

So we can pay up front and start doing a one-stop shop model, which I think is already being proposed.

And let's do this because our fellow brothers and sisters need it.

Thank you.

Oh, and Rick Roach Knoxville, still a runaway slave.

Okay, council.

That concludes the people signed up to speak to this item.

Councilmember Parker.

Thank you, Mayor, and and thank you to all of the speakers who spoke this evening.

Um and to my colleague the Bartoladum for co-sponsoring.

Um as has been alluded to by the speakers and and and in the description of the resolution.

My hope with bringing this resolution forward is to start a conversation.

Um, a conversation with some goals in mind.

Uh, how can we change that temperature threshold for opening uh warming centers?

How can we firm up our uh support that we provide in those summer months and make sure folks have shelter uh during those extreme weather month um uh days in the summer?

Um are we able to provide as a city um to address some shortcomings in in those support services.

Uh it does not establish policy, um, it does not even uh you know set a temperature of 32 or 90, but but asks that uh a conversation begin around that.

There may be another number.

I've heard other um uh numbers thrown out in consideration of uh how members of our community may uh respond to certain um temperatures, and I think all of those conversations should uh take place, but this resolution uh puts the trust in our city administration, our Office on Housing Stability, uh, and other partners to come together and have that conversation because those are the ones who've been leading this work and who know best how to uh help us meet our goals that we've identified in this resolution.

The other part of this resolution, it's it's twofold um to acknowledge all the work that's happened thus far.

Uh work that we've seen expressed in the speakers who came forward.

Um the the much needed beds that are provided uh for individuals during these extreme weather events are largely um provided by a volunteer network of of in of folks who come together and and make it happen.

Uh and they make it happen uh because of how much they care not only about uh these individuals in our community, but as care for our city as a whole.

Um, and I'm so appreciative to them that I feel that that had to be included in uh in the resolution.

But that's just my quick uh introduction to the resolution.

I'll turn it over to my colleagues now who might have questions or further comments to make.

Councilmember Thomas.

Yes, um, I was pleased at a reach recent budget hearing uh that we had where we were talking different aspects of the budget.

This did come up when we were talking about housing, and there was uh a general consensus that uh 25 was too low, and I think everybody would know that.

Um and so I was pleased to see that discussion taking place at that time.

We need to have it uh the threshold for providing shelter at least be high enough where people uh aren't in danger of freezing to death, and you can still freeze to death at 25 below.

Um and having said that, I definitely in support of this motion, and I would like to sign on as a co-sponsor.

Thank you.

Uh Councilmember Debar de Laban.

Thank you.

Um I also want to commend uh both councilwoman Parker for writing this uh and working it to get it on paper, knowing that it doesn't have all the teeth that we want it to have, but it's a discussion starter.

So thank you for that, and thank you also for recognizing the work of the city office and of Aaron Reed's office, um, the commendable work, one towards everything that we've put towards permanent supportive housing.

Uh that still is the way to get us closest out of this homeless crisis that we're in, permanent supportive housing.

Um, but we are also uh in the middle of a difficult time.

All of us remember that Saturday I do uh I think it was third week in January.

I was I was walking downtown to have a fun day, and I ran into uh I was trying to go to Red Panda and it was closed, and I realized that Red Panda shelters a couple of our homeless on really hot days and cold days.

Let's sit in there.

And I saw Sean, who is from Blunt County and has scrolliosis, and I said, Sean, you gotta get out of the cold, and he said, Yes.

And it was about 28 degrees at this point.

And so I called a friend, we drove them to the relaunch shelter, and they took them in there.

Um as I was walking home from relaunch, I saw two gentlemen waiting for a bus, and I said, or what are you waiting for?

And they said, We're trying to get to a warming shelter.

I said, Would you want to go to relaunch?

He said, No, it's not our space.

I said, Where do you want to go?

And they wanted to go to the Eternal Life Harvest Center.

So I said, I'll be back with my truck in five minutes.

And so I picked them up and drove them there.

Uh, ended up taking uh picking up 11 people taking eight to warming centers that day.

And they needed to get out of the cold, and the warming centers begged for our support.

Um that was such an important day.

Years and years ago, I was very influenced by a trip to the Red Cross Museum in Geneva, Switzerland.

And I learned how the Red Cross got started.

There was a terrible battle on an Italian battlefield called the Battle of Sofriano.

It was terrible.

And what this gentleman realized is three-fourths of the people who died for that battle died in the days afterwards because they could not get the medical crews out to them because it was not safe for them.

So they created a treaty where non-combatants could become those safety people.

So warming centers, cooling centers, they are not the answer to homelessness, but they are the hedge around the destruction, the terrible things that happen around homelessness.

They're a way for us to limit uh the amount of damage that is done uh to that community.

And so um I'm I'm not lost in the irony that uh two weeks ago we uh we had a very important group of grants come before us um from the reconciliation council, and um 140,000 for 11 organizations, and we spent 30 minutes in a really good discussion about it.

140,000.

The very next vote was for five million dollars to repave 17 miles of road, an important thing to be done.

We had no discussion, we passed it because we knew it needed to be done.

The point is that I'm trying to make is that by thinking about funding for our warming centers, our cooling centers, these things that are not the answer, but they're incremental answers along the way, doesn't have to take away for permanent supportive housing.

We have other choices to make, and we can pick people instead of automobiles sometime.

So thank you for considering this.

Vice Mayor Fugit.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um Ms.

Reed, would you please come answer a couple of questions?

Thank you.

Um thank you so much since since since you started this cooperative um organization with the community, the county, all these things.

Can you just for the record talk about when this started, when the city finally did do warming centers?

I I think it's helpful.

I'm gonna support this resolution, but I think it's helpful to put into context how much has been done that hadn't been done for a very long time, so that so that it shows that the administration and the city's commitment to incremental change has gotten us this far.

It's not far enough, but I but I think it'd be nice if you could share that.

Thank you.

Happy to, thank you so much for uh giving me the time.

Um we've had a centrally coordinated warming center effort for three winters now.

Um for those of you who were around the winter before that.

Um we had an extremely uh cold snap in December.

We knew it was coming a couple of days ahead of time.

City, county, other partners got together to try to figure out what could be done, and what we could do was set up a tent on North Broadway and fill it with propane heaters.

It saved a lot of lives, I'm quite sure.

Also very imperfect.

Uh so when the Office of Housing Stability was stood up in 2023, um, that was one of the first things that we decided to tackle is how do we create something uh with more of a plan so that we don't have to do that again.

So we have had, as I said, three winters.

Uh that first winter we had 300 people seeking shelter, and we were able to accommodate everyone across four church sites.

Uh the second winter, we had 400 people seeking shelter.

We were able to accommodate everyone across five sites.

Uh this winter, um, 369 people was our busiest night.

That was January 26th.

Um, we were able to accommodate everyone.

I can tell you it was a little bit of a stretch.

Um so um I have been uh really honored with the number of partners that have stepped in on this effort.

To give you an example, um, United Way Mobile Meals and the University of Tennessee have come together to repackage um food, uh leftover food from the sky boxes during football games into warming center meals and meals that can be served at community schools events.

Uh I'm extremely grateful for that because uh that has taken care of about 1,200 meals at warming centers this winter at no cost to the warming centers, which is fabulous.

Um but Vice Mayor Fuga, the you're exactly right.

We've had um a lot of partners stepping in, we've had a lot of churches uh and other entities stepping up to become warming centers.

I'm really really grateful for that and happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

I was just gonna say, I do think part of the challenge that it's all volunteer-led, and my understanding is the temperature that has been selected is sort of what came through the committee process based on what people how many days they thought they could be open.

So there are challenges to the model we have, and I absolutely think there needs to be more discussion on it.

But I but as councilwoman Parker said, I really want the community to understand and um how much community support there has been and the way people have stepped up is to be commended.

It doesn't mean we can't do more.

I'm just agreeing with Ms.

Parker that we've made good strides, but there's still more to do, and uh I appreciate the fact that you are coordinating and facilitating that conversation and look forward to even more.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Councilmember Adams.

Thank you.

And uh thank you, Vice Mayor Fugit, for asking um Ms.

Reed those questions because I I know I have been frustrated with the misconceptions uh that many people have about the temperature thresholds that have been set because um they have been guided by the partners, and our uh response has been to try and respect the partners' request with that.

Um so thank you for just continuing to clarify that to help educate the the public about why those thresholds have been there.

One of the things I really appreciate about Councilwoman Parker and Councilman Dubar Labans and now Councilman Thomas's proposal is that it includes some hooks in terms of these are some specific things that we want to make sure that the conversation includes, like the temperature threshold.

But it also leaves the door open for the conversation among not just the city, but also the other partners, the leaders who have been doing all the work thus far, the volunteers who have been stepping up, the community members who've been helping and the county to come together and talk about what has worked and what hasn't worked in this most recent cycle, and to take those ideas to craft what is most important to make this process better.

And I really appreciate that there is space in this proposal to allow that to happen.

I would like to as well, because of that, co-sponsor the proposal.

Councilmember Grant.

Yes.

You know, I just want to state for the record and talk about the homeless veterans that are out there.

We've got a lot of homeless veterans.

You know, Matthew was talking about the storm a few weeks ago.

I had the privilege with my fellow councilmember Doug Lloyd.

Um we stood outside for about what, two hours.

Um it was 29 degrees, it was freezing, it was raining.

Um we had the opportunity to uh help serve and cook uh for those homeless individuals, and so um also was able to have a you know a few conversations with a lot of veterans um who were experiencing homelessness, and so um definitely definitely gonna support this resolution.

Um I appreciate Councilwoman Parker and all those who have co-sponsored.

Um I think this is a decision that just you know it's not about politics.

This I think this one is you know about the humanity and making the right decision here tonight.

So I will support this resolution.

Councilmember Parker.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

Uh one final thing I wanted to raise.

Um I presented this resolution before the Knoxville Knox County Homeless Coalition, and one thing that was raised during that meeting, uh, the language is not in this resolution because it was already on the agenda, but I just wanted to lift it up that when we talk about additional support for the warming centers.

One thing that was urged was for us to work towards trauma-informed care at these centers.

And you know, right now we're we're grateful for whatever volunteer support we can get and however we can get it.

But if there is encourage these conversations to explore our capacity to uh make these services more trauma informed.

Okay, thank you.

Um Councilmember Helsley.

No, I was just gonna say I've worked at the warming centers ever since.

I guess we've had them since this is a third winter.

Um and even in the daytime, thank you, Marty Baker.

I saw you came back into the meeting.

We thank you too for all the work you do.

Um, I want to support this.

I think the main reason is this the verbiage is like is aspirational, I suppose, but just to continue this conversation and get into a better place.

I think we have continually gotten better since Ms.

Reed, and I don't know if she's still here or not, um, has been here, and it has gotten better every winter.

Is it perfect?

Of course it's not.

However, we can do better, and I'm sure we will do better as we have done the last this day in the third winter.

So for that reason, I will support this resolution.

Thank you.

Um Council members, I I just want to first you know, thank uh Councilmember Parker for meeting with me about this and and sharing your ideas and hearing some of my thoughts on it.

Um and I also really appreciate the you know the very first sentence in here um acknowledges the progress we've made as a city.

Um in 2022, we didn't have a joint office of housing stability.

In 2022, we didn't have coordinated warming centers, and all the work that um Erin Reed and her team, first of all, I want to publicly thank um Knox County and Mayor Jacobs.

It's a joint office of housing stability, and they do help fund it, and I think they they bring a community-wide perspective because we serve homeless people that come to Knoxville, even though they might be blunt county residents or Powell residents or you know, have family, you know, maybe they don't have a home, so I don't know where they're residents of exactly, but every single person who we are helping is also a Knox County resident and a state of Tennessee resident.

And I I just want to publicly thank Aaron Reed, who we uh hired and created that position.

Um, you and your team um and and this council have supported your work uh in budget and in um the efforts that you make.

And I I think it's also really important to notice and document that coordination is work.

Once we had the office of the joint office of housing stability, uh it was easier for the United Way to say how can we help mobile meals for how can we help the uh Knoxville Area Transit Authority, the CAP buses to say how that they can help churches.

There's no shortage of people and organizations who want to help, but just coming down and saying here's a bunch of sandwiches, good luck.

That is not as helpful as going through the joint office to say what is it we actually need.

Oh, clean underwear or money to help do laundry or whatever it might be.

So um I really appreciate this council support.

Those of you who are new to council, you know, don't remember a time when we didn't have this joint office, or or you weren't on council uh when we made those decisions.

So I really appreciate it.

And just as a point of um pride, something we should be proud of.

We do spend six million dollars a year on homelessness interventions.

Uh that's uh supportive housing, that's rapid rehousing, uh, that's supportive services, including um an item that's later on in your agenda.

That's money, almost a half a million to help support the work of Aaron and her team.

Um that's direct shelter support, you know, to Salvation Army, VMC, uh, Catholic charities and others.

Um, and it's also you know, HMIS, a uh homelessness management information system to help to make sure that um we're coordinating the care and not duplicating and having redundant stuff.

So all of that coordination and management helps make the community's generosity channeled more effectively.

So this resolution is gonna build on those efforts, and uh I appreciate the discussion.

Any further comments?

Questions seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries if there's uh a next item if you want to speak.

If a council member calls on you, Marty, thank you for being here.

But but our rules are this we're moving on to the next item.

Thank you.

If a council member calls on you to ask a question about the next item, you can call the next item.

I didn't get to sign up to speak.

I just had one all I needed one minute.

Council members, uh, their rules.

I'm enforcing their rules, I'm not making the rules up.

Uh so there'll be other opportunities uh to uh speak to council at another time unless council wishes to suspend their rules.

12H is a resolution respectfully requesting the administration, the Knoxville Knox County Joint Office of Housing Stability and the Knoxville Knox County Planning Commission to consider and make a recommendation to city council regarding amending the Knoxville City Code, appendix B zoning code, article articles 9.2 and 9.4 to establish regulations for temporary emergency shelter in furtherance of the goals outlined in the Knoxville Knox County Office of Housing Stability 2026-2028 strategic planning motion made to approve and seconded.

Um let's see, there's some people who signed up to speak to this item.

First is Linda Conway, Miss Conway.

Mayor, um yeah.

I'd actually like to move that we uh suspend our rules to allow for the previous speaker on the previous topic before we move into discussion of this.

So you would like to suspend okay.

The motion's been made and seconded.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

Uh I think that means we would the council would like to hear your comments, Marty.

Me?

Yes.

They've suspended your calls.

If you could um state your name and address for the record, and you'll have up to three minutes to speak.

Oh, thank you all.

Um so my name is Marty Baker, and I'm the founder of Care Cuts Ministry.

Um, I'm just a barber.

But I do want to tell my city council something tonight.

There's four people that know this in my life.

Raise your hand if you have ever found a person froze to death.

Raise your hand.

I found one uh overheated today.

I have.

No, but I do I would like to tell my story.

The city police department come by my side.

They comforted me.

I knew the man by his first name, his last name.

We were able to get a hold of his daughter.

Uh so thank you all.

Um I I just believe that you're going to raise the temperatures.

Um, everything that we need to be doing with the homeless.

Uh I never dreamed that I would be walking in these shoes.

Finding someone from heat exhaustion, finding someone that's come out of the hospital naked.

Um, there's a lot of things that um if you want to learn more about care cuts and what we do on Ground Zero with many of the other ministries, uh, please come and visit.

Mayor, I would love for you to come and spend just a little bit of time at Care Cuts.

Uh, I know you're a busy lady, um, and I know your husband is at CARM.

Uh, but I would love to ask each and every one of you to come and spend just two hours shadowing care cuts and and just really seeing.

We're we're a little different from others.

We have uh first come, first serve.

But I would just wanted to ask who has ever found a frozen body, and I have.

And uh it's really made a difference in my life, and that's why I'm so strong-wheeled uh and with my passion and my uh following the Lord.

It's it's humanity, it's what we should do, and thank you for your votes.

Okay, thank you.

We'll um now move to the people signed up to speak on item 12H.

First is Linda Connaway.

Miss Conway.

You could come to I already spoke.

If you don't have anything additional to add, you don't need to speak.

Okay.

Okay.

Uh next is Vivian Schepe.

Vivian Scheip, 3615 MLK.

I want to tell you about a fine lady whose name I'm changing.

We're gonna call her Miss Does Anybody Care.

You see, she's this is a true story.

She's in Knoxville, by the way.

She's 57 in a wheelchair.

She gets disability and uses the few dollars she receives to pay to sleep on people's couches, or even in her wheelchair in their house each month.

A night here, a night there, until her funds run out, and then the last piece of the month are spit in alleyways, doorways, 24-hour businesses until her jet comes and the vicious cycle begins again.

She so badly needs and wants a place.

Her health is not good.

She needs help getting her documents in a safe place to receive them.

You see, when you're in a wheelchair, sometimes everything gets taken from you.

Once this past winter in January, even her wheelchair was taken.

But a business owner saw the guy who took it.

Joy riding up and down the street and got it back.

Poor.

Miss does anybody care.

Does not drink or smoke.

She just can't afford to rent anything and knock on a few dollars her disability check provides.

She doesn't want to be a burden.

And it's not asking for a handout, just a hand up.

Gathering the documentation for Miss Does anybody care?

It's just one of the services care cuts will provide in that space on Clinton Highway.

While they're doing their part to help the unhealth get off the street, it's up to us to create housing for those seniors and others on the streets that want to pay their share with the little bit that they have.

NIMBY must stop.

We must meet this issue head on.

Create a space for a person to start over.

Must begin with all of us.

Reaching out our hands, including the business owners, the churches, we the people and those we have elected to serve us.

Grant Care Cuts this opportunity to change lives.

Now let's move all over the city and the county, but the homeless are everywhere.

We need day centers, west, south, and east.

Downtown is covered.

We must begin.

Let it begin now.

No more delays.

The homeless are not going away.

Whatever we need to do to make this happen, it starts now.

Thank you.

Next person signed up to speak to this item is Anthony Jackson.

Mr.

Jackson, if you could state your name and address for the record, you'll have up to three minutes.

Anthony Jackson, 4328, Eddington Road, lay leader at United Vestal United Methodist Church.

So a three-year veteran at warming centers, survivor.

Good evening, Mayor and fellow council members and residents of Knoxville.

First, a very, very sincere thank you to Amelia Parker and to Matthew for co-sponsoring.

For bringing that forward this resolution and for your ongoing leadership on behalf of our most vulnerable neighbors.

I stand in strong support of item H the resolution co-sponsored by Matthew.

This respectfully requests that the administration, the Knoxville, and Knox County joint Office of Housing Stability and the Planning Commission review and recommend amendments to our zoning code, specifically Articles 9.2 and 9.4 to allow for regulated temporary emergency shelters.

In our community, guys, we have seen too many vulnerable neighbors face life-threatening risks during extreme cold snaps or scorching heat waves.

Our current warning centers activate only at dangerously low thresholds.

Like churches, nonprofits, community partners stepping up to provide safe temporary indoor and even outdoor sheltered spaces during declared emergencies.

It directs further the goals in the housing of office stabilities 2026 to 2028, their strategic plan, which is preventing homelessness, reducing unsheltered exposure, responding urgency, urgently to crises, and expanding access to safe housing solutions.

Guys, these are win-win-wins for everybody by enabling more partners to open their doors, modeled on very successful approaches in other cities.

We can actually save more lives, ease pressure on existing shelters, and build a more compassionate, resilient response system, something that I believe that every single person in here wants.

This is about dignity, safety, and working together.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution so we can continue to move forward with recommendations that protect our most vulnerable residents when they need it the most.

Thank you guys so very, very much for everything you're doing from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next person signed up to speak um is Rick Roach.

Mr.

Roach, uh you'll have up to three minutes to address counsel.

Thank you, Mayor Rick Roch Knoxville, and thank you for not even saying I'm against the resolution, of course, which I'm not.

Again, especially emphasizing what Mr.

Jackson uh just spoke about.

Knoxville's not the first, Knoxville's not the last.

We've already got models out there that work in other municipalities.

But the temporary housing situation, um emergency housing situation, you know, we cannot continue to put it off on nonprofits.

We we just can't.

It's not gonna work.

If if you don't do it, if you don't set those guidelines and create the help create the infrastructure to respond to situations like this, which we've had repeatedly over and over and over again, year in, year out, at least twice a year.

There's always a uh a heat wave, there's always a cold snap.

Over and over again.

I don't think by the private people, you know, that's trauma for them having to watch it over and over again.

Police over and over and over again.

Okay, responding to these things.

People out on the street, Ms.

Baker, everybody else having to respond to these situations, Mr.

Dubarleban.

Me.

Think ahead.

Just jump ahead.

Don't have discussion when you know what the situation really is about.

Don't do that.

Okay.

Lose your collective ego.

And that will help us start to deal with this.

Like I said, you know, I stood here over 15 years ago and ask the mayor at the time who is my brother's keeper, you know, trying to go biblical.

And that's the worst look on the faces of people I've ever seen.

Because nobody wanted to answer that question.

So now it's time to answer that question through the actions and start operating within the context of OHS.

Okay.

And let them lead the way.

You created this thing.

Let them do what they can do.

They've got a plan.

Okay.

Let them do it.

Help them do it.

Give them the power.

Thank you.

Okay, that concludes people sign up to speak to item 12H.

Council Member Parker.

And just as a reminder, uh makers of the motion get up to eight minutes.

Right.

So sponsors.

Sponsors of the resolution.

Sorry, not makers of the motion.

Councilmember Parker.

Cool too, though.

Thank you, Mayor.

And I am still recovering from the words of Ms.

Vivian.

So I don't know if I can hold it together.

Okay.

So just to clarify.

Any changes to our zoning code have to go before planning.

So that's why you have a resolution before you asking planning to make a recommendation to city council.

Anytime we consider a revision to the zoning code, we have to go through that process that involves planning.

So similar to the last resolution, I see this resolution as starting a conversation.

We can come back to you if you need a minute.

So recommendations from planning would come back before city council for consideration.

This would be a first step in the process.

Hopefully be encouraged.

Uh this would give a little bit more support to those efforts so that those who want to help um have a good understanding of um what they should consider to ensure that the safety of uh those that they bring into their buildings.

Um and it can give us as a community more assurances that we have um uh a good process in place um that that will not have a negative impact on our neighborhoods, but also will provide these appropriate life-saving um services during these extreme weather events.

Um and also keep in mind that we're just talking about temporary services.

So this is not um, you know, when we were talking when we uh learned about the warming centers and how this work began and um you know the city um um deciding that first year to try to save some lives with a tent and some propane tanks, right?

Um this isn't a process that that uh would create you know a tent city in our in our communities uh that exist year-round.

It would create those temporary moments uh where we're coming together in a regulated way in a supervised way in a resource supported way to provide those supports that that are gonna help save people's lives uh during that extreme weather event.

So I just wanted to preface this resolution with um why this needs to go to planning, emphasizing that it's that it's temporary um and and that you know uh uh for this to pass, it still has to come back before us uh to pass it, and and at that time we can even make amendments if we'd like.

So that might hopefully help give you an overview of the process that I'm proposing.

Councilmember Devard Laban.

Um yeah, is there someone that can speak from permitting or zoning tonight, or would that be Mrs.

Brooks?

Uh I guess Ms.

Brooks is a you know I guess.

Director of Planning Perspective.

My question is this if if I so I'm looking at the zoning matrix, which has permitted use, special use, temporary use, and then blank.

So I understand permitted use, it's use by right, special use, goes through planning commission, goes to you first, then to planning commission, then to here.

What does temporary use do?

If I if I want to apply for if I'm approved for temporary use, but actually then want to apply for it.

What's that process?

Excuse me, sorry.

Uh a little bit of clarification about special uses.

Special uses only come before this body if they are on appeal as a planning commission appeal.

For temporary uses, um, those are applications that go to plans, review, and inspection, and they review those um to make sure that they comply with the code.

Okay, and that's where it would be determined to offer that temporary use.

The one that the one that's before you right now, I mean the discussion that you all are having right now or potentially planning codes is basically able to give the green light that this can be allowed for temporary use.

Plans review and inspection would review anything that was per that is currently identified as a temporary use in the code.

Okay.

Yeah, and I think uh council member, you know, these are questions that we haven't had chance to investigate or explore.

These are the kinds of things that we don't have the clear answers to.

Okay.

I mean, I'm looking at the the use matrix, which has we have 15 temporary use categories, everything from farmers market to farm stand to temporary outdoor entertainment, uh, outdoor sales center, you know, probably if somebody's opening outdoor construction center, so that we have those temporary, and I was just trying to decide who then will give the green light to that temporary use.

If you're going to be proposing to add a new temporary use, that would go through that the process.

So what's what's already been added?

So let's say we go ahead and we we give it these zones that it's allowed in, then who then green lights the temporary use?

That would be the staff of plans review and inspection.

They would be the the folks that would review that request.

Okay.

Um yeah, I mean, as I look at this temporary use matrix, you know, there's probably things that we didn't have on here 10 years ago, but as we've evolved in our needs, it makes sense to create an avenue for us to find areas where temporary use can be approved, especially for warming shelters and cooling shelters, um, just as we've done and are doing for non-conforming parking lots right now.

And so it's just it's an opportunity to uh to respond to the reality while building towards uh incrementally towards something that's better.

So I support this.

Councilmember Thomas.

Uh yes, uh first of all, I want to appreciate my colleagues who talked about kind of and the mayor about how far we've actually come.

Um and also the fact that there's a limit to how much that um uh charities can give and that the 25 uh threshold for uh providing shelter was actually not a city regulation.

I think maybe people know that now.

It was basically from the volunteers who were just really giving all they could, and they say this is the best we can do.

And um so uh again, I want to thank all those and uh the many the more volunteers that we can have to address this the better.

Um, but as Mr.

Roach says, there's a limit to how much uh we can rely on churches and volunteers, um, although they've been given a lot.

So um I welcome these discussions about us having a really broader uh conversation.

I like the way both these resolutions are worded.

It's basically none of us have any concrete um answers at the moment, but uh the will to get together and try to figure this out because it it you know it needs to be done.

Um the other thing I want to throw out is I think that uh the help that's provided in the shelters that's provided by volunteers is probably not going to be sufficient.

So one of the things I want us to start looking at is uh using city-owned facilities and buildings and possibly parks and rec centers to uh accommodate these.

And um, that's not something I know we could do immediately because there's practical reasons why those facilities can't be used right now because the um uh other needs and other promises and schedules, uh et cetera.

Uh so it would be something that we couldn't do immediately.

But um I really want to look at that as a possibility, and um, in a discussion that we've had, and I had with a, for example, the person who's doing the comprehensive plan for the park system.

And one of the things I discussed with him was the possibility of at some point refitting or retrofitting the rec centers to where they could provide this kind of a warming uh amenity without uh uh sacrificing the good work that they already do.

And that would be asking parks and recs to do something that they've probably never done.

Uh it's not exactly in their purview, but I think that it's now the time to start, you know, having that discussion.

And uh in that conversation, the person who was in charge of the comprehensive plan noted that there uh were a few other municipalities that had started that.

And so I think uh we should we should look at that and just underline again as Mr.

Roach said, um we're not gonna be able to do it with volunteers.

So at some point we may have to start really seriously looking at more actually city-owned facilities.

So thank you.

And I also would like to sign on as a co-sponsor for this motion.

Councilmember Adams.

Thank you.

I appreciate what uh councilman Thomas was saying, uh, the ideas about the recreational centers, because I think that's the kind of idea.

Um I've I've heard from others uh working in the uh field already kind of bubble up.

So I think that is the kind of idea that through the first resolution that we just passed, we may hear more of and get that kind of debriefing of potential ideas that can move forward.

Um but the there are there are issues with this particular proposal that I'm concerned about because it seems like this one different than the first one uh starts with a predetermined uh outcome.

And the difference too is that while the debriefing in the first proposal uh really leaves space for everyone to come to the table and say, here are the things that we can do that we can do better, um, ideas and and very exact um needs this proposal says it will go to planning, and planning is a department that already has a very full plate most uh most visibly right now.

The comprehensive plan.

And when I think about that, I think about the comprehensive plan being the uh activity that could accept what that debriefing from the first proposal guides us to do.

So it seems like this proposal is a bit ahead of um where we are at the same time.

Uh I'm sensitive to the fact that there are agencies right now, providers right now who have stepped up but they don't have the adequate approvals to be um a full center, and I'm concerned about providing some kind of flexibility for them.

But it seems like the way to get to that would be through this first resolution that we just passed, get those ideas and then move that forward with specific budgets as opposed to sending on a different track something to planning and taking them off of the the work program that they that they already have.

Um, because I do think that it should get wrapped in to that comprehensive approach.

So I am very much appreciative of the ideas that have been put forward here, but see them in conflict to the first proposal.

Uh and I appreciate the opportunity to explain uh why I won't be supporting this one, uh, but absolutely support the ideas through it so that we can put that into the plan for planning and put that into uh a full budget review.

Thank you, Councilmember Honeycutt.

Uh yeah, and first of all, again, thank you, uh Councilwoman Parker and Councilman Debarladen for starting this very important conversation and and thank you all for being here tonight to be part of it.

Uh the I agree that um in some of in some of what you said, Councilwoman Adams, I think the comprehensive plan is the opportunity for us to as a city ask ourselves as a community what what do we want to be 15 and 20 years from now to set a vision for ourselves to have that discussion to have that engagement, and part of that uh is attainable housing, affordable housing, public safety, uh, and how we address homelessness.

Um, and you know, what's been proposed here tonight uh is a good start to that conversation.

Uh but and I think uh you know, no matter which way this resolution goes, I hope that that conversation continues in the comprehensive plan process, uh, and that everyone that's here tonight and more engage in that process and give your feedback because that will dictate how our zoning is treated and how our city evolves to treat not just homelessness but and warming centers, but everything that we want our city to be and to do.

Uh so I do think you know that that um both resolutions uh start a really great conversation and one we need to have as a city.

Uh I think, regardless of which way this particular resolution goes tonight, uh, that there is opportunity to incorporate this conversation into the comprehensive plan process and to continue the dialogue on something really important uh is what we're talking about here tonight.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Councilmember Grant.

Yeah, I mean, I I just want to echo uh a couple of things that councilwoman Adams and Councilman Honeycoat mentioned.

Um I think the you know the resolution before this opens up that conversation.

Um to me, it it gives us a sense of direction, um, as you said, to be able to have the conversation.

I do believe um, you know, plan and commission uh has an opportunity through the comprehensive plan uh to have this discussion.

And so um, with us, you know, already supporting uh the previous resolution, um, I think that's a win.

I think that's an opportunity for us to continue conversation.

Um, but I am hesitant about uh this particular resolution, so um, I won't be supporting uh this resolution.

Uh councilmember Parker.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh, and thank you all for your comments.

Um I had similar questions uh before introducing uh this resolution, but came to a different conclusion, especially about the comprehensive plan.

Uh and you all may remember we did speak about homelessness during that workshop and what that process would look like in my understanding of it, is that um the comprehensive plan may produce recommendations that we would want to consider um for changes to our zoning code.

Um but but it's a much larger process than or it's a much different process than Recode.

So if we were going through another recode, um I would not have brought this forward because we would be looking at specific changes to make to the zoning code rather than um you know, similar to what the the county just went through, a broader discussion about land use in our city.

Um this process um which brings in you know city administration, office of housing, stability uh and planning is looking at a process for a temporary use permit, which in my mind needs its own separate process.

Um it would not be something that would come out of the comprehensive plan.

It would have to begin after that plan uh is finalized, and then a process is developed.

So I think that we can while we are having these conversations, uh we could have this um uh uh conversation happening at the same time around zoning, uh, that we would be able to move forward.

If we leave it with a comprehensive plan, I'm hearing a two-year delay before we get to uh look at zoning code changes, uh, which is not what the community's calling for.

I think you know, a more efficient process would be to have conversations about the policies around uh warming centers, and then um what additional um uh uh services we can bring online and what might be some hindrances to that in terms of zoning and other things that we might be able to address.

To me, those are conversations that go together.

Um, and I see someone who wants to speak, and I want to hear from them.

So I'm gonna allow my time to be used.

If you'll just come on down really quickly, because we only have two minutes.

Um I'm very curious of what you wanted to add to this the conversation.

Thank you, Linda Connaway again, operating on 409 North Broadway.

I feel like I would be remiss not to just implore how pivotal it is to open up this conversation about this specific issue.

Being an integral part of the warning warming center committee, we were very limited in places, and I just want to be clear as relaunch.

We just became homeless February 28th as a seasonal shelter, and the biggest barrier we have in our way is finding a place to operate.

The problem the city has right now is not operators, it is not beautiful agencies like CareCutz willing to do the work, eternal life harvest.

The problem we have is a place to be where the community will allow us to do the life-saving work to change the landscape of our homeless issue in Knoxville.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um so I know that we all have questions and concerns, but I would encourage you all to see the two resolutions as working together and allowing um, you know, while conversations are are taking place about what are some of these obstacles allowing this conversation around zoning to continue forward so it doesn't have to be delayed potentially a couple of years until um we start to amend the zoning code in response to the comprehensive plan.

Oh, also I had one other thing in I have 20 seconds and I have to oh um I also wanted to echo what uh Councilmember DeBarde Ladum said about uh these are warning centers and these temporary solutions are just that temporary solutions, they're not the long-term solution.

Uh supportive housing is that long-term solution, but these centers provide some stability that allow people to more easily move in to that more permanent housing.

So it's a crucial uh part of the process.

Thank you.

Vice Mayor Fugit.

Thank you.

Um I'm not sure who can answer this question.

That usually happens to my questions.

Um Ms.

Brooks, you may have to answer part of it.

But for clarification, the planning commission has its plan of work set, correct?

By the by the planning commission body itself.

That is correct.

And so all this council can do is ask Planning Commission to consider adding this to its plan of work immediately, correct?

Yes, that is correct.

Usually we work closely with the administration.

Right.

And so if we did that, the likelihood of that being taken up right now would I suspect I'm not asking you to speak for the people that you work for, um, the the actual commission, but I suspect that would engender some time and conversation among them.

So there's no guarantee how quickly this could start.

Correct.

Thank you.

So I now I've still got a few minutes and I don't know who can answer this part.

So if so exactly, and I I appreciate this place about where to put a temporary shelter, and then temporary warming shelters.

And the other question is what is the definition of temporary?

How long is temporary?

That I think is a part of a much larger discussion about then where they can be and the permitting process.

And so that is why I'm I think that this is not as easy as just saying to planning, look at where they can be.

So I appreciate the intent.

So I um don't think I will be supporting this in its current form.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh Councilmember, who is next?

Uh Thomas.

Um I'm gonna defer, I'm still thinking and listening.

So I want to leave my light on, but I would like to refer to whoever was next.

Okay.

Because I want to do that.

Councilmember Devine.

Um I will follow up on councilwoman fugit's question.

What is temporary and uh what is the permitting process?

So we already have temporary status in our zoning.

So what what how long is temporary for these all the things on this matrix?

And what is the process for me to come to you and get that approved for that period of time?

I don't think we've answered those questions.

Those are the kinds of things that the March 26th discussion can continue.

But the whole list of 15 temporary things here, do they have their own they have under 9.4 under temporary use standards?

Um each of these different temporary uses have different standards associated with them.

Okay, and since my department doesn't approve temporary uses, I can't speak to uh all individual, like how we would apply how you know what the what the time frame would be.

I think you know, in order to come up with standards for this temporary use, it would have to be a discussion that would occur amongst multiple different departments.

Um be analyzed.

Does that feel like it's outside of this resolution?

I think that's what we're asking you to do.

Is to come up with some recommendations to us on these things, like how long would a temporary permit be, what zoning would a temporary temporary permit fit in, what would be the process for somebody to apply for that temporary permit?

Yes, that would be all part of what would go into determining what what these standards would be.

That's what I understand this resolution to be asking us to ask planning to consider the entire process of adding temporary zoning for these type of shelters uh to our zoning.

So, but but it would have to you would have to develop a whole process for these specific use.

Yes, that is correct.

Okay.

Councilmember Thomas will go back.

Oh, not yet.

Okay, council member Adams.

Um Councilmember Debartelavan, I think you're getting at what I'm concerned about, is that it's not, and and councilwoman fugitive uh vice mayor fugue get the same, in that it's not uh go work on this and come back in a week, and and I'm simplifying it, but it is a larger process that will require multiple um departments and entities.

So essentially think about you know your own game plan for the day, you got your to-dos, and now someone just said actually you're doing this.

So it throws everything else out.

And uh I think that there have been uh work plans that already have planning tasked with with certain things.

Of course, they can they can do many things, but I think it would be more valuable for them to work with the information that comes from resolution one that we passed and have all that information to work with to then move forward with what exactly is the need from all the different agencies that are doing this work.

Um other side question, and I'm not sure who answers this either.

But um, is it true that the city currently has the ability to deploy uh emergency types of uh temporary structures as a as a need.

Yeah, when when there's an emergency situation, I think it was back in 2022, the Christmas day was really, really cold, like zero degrees, and a lot of people's pipes were freezing, and of course it was uh you know the carm was full, and um Salvation Army had plans to serve a Christmas dinner in their gym, so they couldn't let us just use that.

So uh we worked with Knox County and Kema and the Red Cross and did what um Aaron Reed mentioned before.

We put up a tent, a big, you know, like a large tent and the propane heaters and and uh you know provided a place where people could stay warm during that extreme cold temperatures.

Um so that that was uh extenuating emergency situation, and we have a better plan now with the warming centers.

Uh, but I do think an important thing to consider is not just the type of temporary use, but also where, you know, like you know, I know people who live in and around the the so-called mission district uh think deconcentration of those services is a good idea, but we see from you know the emails and so forth you've been getting about care because a lot of people like the mission and the idea, but they uh there's not consensus on where those services should be uh allowed.

And so it'd be it's an interesting thing to consider if we allow it citywide or only in certain neighborhoods, and why would that be okay for some neighborhoods and not every neighborhood?

I mean, those are just all these things raise a lot of questions that um I think the March 26th can be a continuation of the discussion based on the resolution you passed on uh 12G.

Thank you for answering the that we do have the lever at our disposal to deploy uh an emergency um scenario, a temporary scenario if needed.

Um, but uh you just raised additional questions about you know how we um work forwards to work with what um Ms.

Reed does and what all the other agencies in the county may see as the most immediate need to get to an improved situation.

Thank you.

Councilmember Thomas, you're ready.

Okay.

Uh yes, um the appeal to me for the agenda item that we're discussing was that we might be able to do something quicker and get some help out.

Um but after hearing uh the discussion and uh the questions that uh Miss Brooks asked or answered rather.

Um I'm thinking that it's not going to be as quick as I wanted, and that it probably would be better to put it under the umbrella of G.

Uh, that's not at all to uh discount the uh intentions behind this and possibly the good idea, it could probably be incorporated, but I think I would like to just move forward with one comprehensive thing to send to planning commission.

Um they don't have to have a resolution, uh a separate resolution to consider this.

And so um I think even though I really um admired the spirit behind this and what it seeks to accomplish, uh it's just it's not going to be as quick to do as I thought.

And I think if it's not going to be very quick, then it would be better.

The idea would be better dovetailed into the the more comprehensive plan of G.

Anything else?

Okay.

Uh Councilmember Parker.

Uh thank you, Mayor.

Um a few things.

Um is all of the entities that need to be involved for this conversation.

So this is not just a discussion for planning to have.

Um, and that's why one reason why it works well to uh pair this with um the first resolution because uh the what comes out of 12G will not be what we need for 12H, if that makes any sense.

And here's the reason why.

This conversation about what is possible in terms of emergency services that we're providing, you can see from the resolution requires multiple entities to be brought together who have that limited time and who are needed to inform any changes to the zoning.

So if we do not take advantage of them being brought together to define what is temporary shelter in Louisville, their temporary shelter is allowed to open a day before the extreme weather event, uh, but they're able to get their permits several weeks, if not months in advance that allows for more uh planning in within the community.

Other cities, um, you know, which is what we've done with our warming centers, those warming centers essentially are um you know brought online uh for at the beginning of the season and are permitted to serve as that warming center throughout the remainder of the season.

Um so what the definition of temporary shelter is not only depends on what our uh resources are in the community, but also within the city.

Um this group of folks who are coming together to talk about the warming center network and the conversations that the Office of Housing Stability has been leading, I imagine are not focused on what's the capacity over at codes enforcement and what's the work plan for codes enforcement, and does another entity within the city need to be brought into this temporary um permitting process.

Other cities have uh placed other entities at the lead of that uh permitting process.

Is that something that um you know the Office of Housing Stability could be a part of?

The approval process.

Um in order for these processes to be successful, in my opinion, uh they have to be brought in together.

And when I reached out to Director Brooks uh initially about this, one of the things that you did mention to me was that it was good timing because you all were working on your work plan.

Uh do you remember that email that you sent to me?

I remember corresponding with you about this.

Um again, you know, my concern would be that we would begin the process under 12G, um, identify ways that we could expand the network.

Um, but we're not in a place to have conversations about where these services could be located.

And we're still constrained to what our current zoning code allows, which it doesn't allow any temporary emergency shelter.

So we would only be uh relying on uh you know decisions made by the administration, which you know valiant efforts have been put in, but there's you know still concerns about how can we bring more people online who've been denied through the process, can we make it a more transparent process?

Um and you know, we'll end up with the status quo, which I don't believe has allowed uh, which I believe people are showing up today because we need a better system in place.

So while we're talking about how to create a better system uh for warming centers, um, that has to include where they can be located.

If we're not including where they can be located into this process, we're not approaching this uh in earnest to really be ready to uh be able to support an an even more improved system this winter, and I do believe these conversations could move forward uh on this upcoming planning commission work plan.

Okay, uh any further questions or discussion?

Okay, we're voting on item 12H.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

No.

Motion fails.

Council, do you want to take a brief recess?

Okay, let's uh reconvene in 10 minutes.

810.

Johnson if you could please move on to the next agenda item 12 i is a resolution authorizing the mayor to amend the contract with Henley Roofing Company Incorporated for the fire station number seven reroof project increasing the contract amount by 58,946 dollars for a new total contract amounts not to exceed 200,946 dollars and extending the date of completion to March 19 2026 second motion made to approve and seconded any questions or discussion seeing none all those in favor please say aye any opposed motion carries 12 J is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an amendment to contract number C 25-0264 between the City of Knoxville and public consulting group LLC increasing the scope of services provided to the Knoxville Fire Department to conduct a comprehensive administrative and operational assessment for an additional cost of $18,500 for a new total contract price of 103,550 dollars.

Motion made to approve and seconded any questions or discussion seeing none all those in favor please say aye.

Aye any opposed motion carries chief sharp thanks for your work on this and we're looking forward to the results 12K is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a multiparty agreement with the Knoxville Knox County Community Action Committee and Knoxville's Community Development Corporation to fund the case management program focused on homelessness prevention in KCDC elderly disabled housing in the amount of 187500 with the city's portion not to exceed 1560.

Thank you this motion has been made and uh motion to approve has been made and seconded uh just a little context uh this resolution seeks to support and continue a successful initiative that delivers case management and direct social services through CAC for tenants at several locations operated by KCDC Northgate Terrace Cagle Terrace Guy B Love Towers and Isabella Towers and this services specifically cater to seniors and individuals with disabilities who are vulnerable for eviction so this is one of the many ways we try to prevent homelessness the best way to end homelessness is to prevent it from the first place so we're very grateful for our partners this has been uh practice that the city has supported since 2008 um and we are very grateful for its success uh council member grant you know just a brief question um in terms of who's providing the case management services is it CAC or is it KCDC themselves?

CAC I believe yep I'm they're all nodding the okay thank you okay any further questions or discussion seeing none all those in favor please say aye any opposed motion carries thank you KCDC and CAC for your work next item please 12 L is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with MGT impact solutions LLC to engage in a study of the city's longevity plan pay plan and to make our actionable recommendations for improvement for a contract amounts not to exceed 39325 dollars motion made to approve and seconded any questions or discussion seeing none all those in favor please say aye any opposed motion carries 12 M is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with CarM Carman Forensics LLC to provide evaluation and training services as a firearms expert to the Knoxville police department in the amounts not to exceed 139,065 dollars for a contract period ending September 30 2027 motion made to approve and seconded any questions or discussion seeing none all those in favor please say aye any opposed motion carries 12 N is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to coordinate crimes against children task force investigator travel for training pursuant to a grant from the U.S.

Department of Justice and delinquency programs in the amounts not to exceed $80,000 with an option to renew the agreement with one additional one year period upon written agreement by the parties move to approve second motion made to approve and second any questions or discussion seeing none all those in favor please say aye.

Knoxville LLC to lease property at 501 West Church Avenue at no cost to the city for the installation and the maintenance of two city-owned compactors available for use by the public.

Motion made to approve and seconded.

Any questions or discussion?

Seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

I'm I'm really excited about this one.

Uh thank you, Rachel and the public service for coming up with this plan and working to find the places that's going to make uh downtown waste management much cleaner and easier and cheaper.

So good job.

Looking forward to launching that soon.

Uh next item, please.

12 P is a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute an agreement with Keep Knoxville Beautiful Beautiful for staffing at the city's four recycling drop-off centers for an annual amount of $396,600.

Motion made and seconded.

Any questions or discussion?

Seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

12 Q is a resolution supporting and endorsing the South Waterfront Down River Master Plan, a community-driven framework for the redevelopment of the Down River area that's that will serve as the framework for the upcoming requests for proposals process and thanking the members of the South Waterfront Advisory and Advocacy Group who have worked tirelessly throughout this process.

If you want to make there are people to move to approve and second it, uh then we'll hear from uh people signed up to speak.

Did I get a second?

You can be the maker of the motion and vice mayor seconded.

Move to approve.

Okay.

Motion made and and seconded.

Now we have three people signed up to speak in favor of this item.

We'll start with Janice Toker.

All that work.

Uh Ms.

Toker, you'll have up to three minutes to address counsel.

If you could start by stating your name and address.

Thank you.

Janice Toker, 326 Taylor Road, 3792.

Um, just a bit over three years ago, I was among several community members that addressed city council.

Some of you are on City Council, some of you weren't, but you're here now.

Um we addressed city council about ambiguities in the South Waterfront Code review process and concern for egregious variances granted for development in the South Waterfront district.

Based on a resolution sponsored by First District Council representative Tommy Smith, a small group of residents and business owners and representatives from the city began meeting on a monthly basis to review the uh South Waterfront Code to identify areas that needed attention and revision.

Through the work of this group, several South Waterfront Code updates were passed and some procedures put in place to provide the public with more information about the develop about development.

In December 2023, this small working group expanded to include more individuals with different areas of expertise and members of various organizations to become the South Waterfront Advisory and Advocacy Group, better known as SWAG.

This group has worked together to look at the South Waterfront as a whole, and more recently concentrating on the area referenced as the Down River Master Plan.

Because of the way form-based code works, basically, if it fits, it sits.

Through the work of swag and community input, there is now a plan for this area that will be a great mixture of housing, business, entertainment areas, and public spaces, while preserving some of the historic buildings.

The city sponsored several workshops to brainstorm ideas for this area, and this past December co-sponsored a community open house with the South Knoxville Neighborhood and Business Coalition.

The meeting was an opportunity for the community to see the concepts and provide input.

Most importantly, there was time set aside for questions and feedback.

Some additional ideas of merit uh came from this addition to the open house format.

Overall, the process that began in January 2023 has been a positive one.

Thanks to those instrumental in ensuring the process remains one that is a collaboration with the community and the city.

It makes me most pleased that the work of SWAG has become a framework for how neighbors, the community, and businesses can work with and the city can collaborate.

Hence the Chilhaway Park Group.

I fully support this resolution and look forward to SWAG's continued oversight of the South Waterfront as the area continues to be developed.

Thank you all.

Thank you.

Next person signed up to speak in favor of item 12 Q is Deborah Mallard.

Ms.

Mallard, if you could come to the podium.

Adjust it as needed.

And state your name and address for the record, and you'll have up to three minutes to address Council.

Thank you.

My name is Deborah Mallard.

I live at 445 West Blunt Avenue.

City View at Riverwalk condominiums.

I also serve as president of the South Side Waterfront Neighborhood Association.

Our neighborhood encompasses the Tennessee River on the north, Chapman Highway on the east, up to Fort Drive on the South, down Augusta Avenue to West to West Blunt Avenue on the wet at the west, and Scottish Pike to Rivertown condos.

Many of our members, as well as myself, have attended the South Waterfront public meetings to gain information about development proposals.

My husband and I purchased our condo in 2016 after hearing and reading about the South Waterfront Vision Plan.

We settled our house of 31 years in Far West Harden Valley and permanently moved to City View in 2019.

The River Walk Plan was of great interest to us, as well as the pedestrian bridge edition for biking and crossing the river.

We're looking forward to seeing the development of the Down River Master Plan come to fruition in the coming years with the riverwalk extension and recreation spaces as well as some retail businesses.

Thank you for your consideration for this resolution of support.

Thank you.

Next person signed up to speak to this item is Eric Johnson.

Mr.

Johnson, if you could come up to the podium.

And you can uh raise it if you wish.

If you can start by stating your name and address for the record.

Um I think the yeah, my Mr.

Claybaugh, could you help uh you can also, yeah.

Oh, I I I can hear myself.

Okay.

Um my name is Eric Johnson.

I live at 438 Mayfield Avenue in South Knoxville.

Um I currently serve as president of the Vessel Community Organization.

We are here to speak in favor of the resolution to adopt the South Knoxville Waterfront Downriver Master Plan.

We are in favor of this plan for three reasons.

Reason number one, we are relieved to see that this is a planned development.

Reason number two, we believe the South Knoxville Waterfront Downriver Master Plan will facilitate the development of a West, a wetland park where Goose Creek joins the Tennessee River just west of the planned development area.

Reason number three.

Property owners have taken um opportunity here to maximize their short-term profit at the expense of the larger community.

We understand that the majority of South Knoxville Waterfront Downriver Master Plan area is now controlled by KCDC, able to plan and develop the properties in keeping with the needs of the community, not simple short-term profit-oriented developers.

We are thrilled to see the city able to conduct this proper planning, no longer controlled by specific property owners looking for a short-term problem.

Profit.

We believe adoption of the South Knoxville Waterfront Downriver Master Plan will facilitate development of our dream for a Goose Creek Tennessee River Wetland Park where people will be able to enjoy the beauty and natural environment, this treasure creating connectivity to all sorts of areas, up to and including the Bristol Community.

Finally, we like the leadership, the leadership exhibited by those seeking to promote this plan who have greater expertise on the technical details.

For those interested in promoting development of the Goose Creek Tennessee River Wetland Park, I would love to make contact with you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Council members, that concludes people who have signed up to speak to this item.

Councilmember Adams.

Thank you.

And I want to say a special thank you to everyone who came and spoke.

I know that this is one of a gazillion meetings that you have already participated in through your advocacy in South Knoxville through your participation in SWAG, which is the best acronym ever for a community group.

And I just thank you for coming to this extra mile here as we're at this point with the Downriver Master Plan.

It really does speak to a culmination of years of work.

This resolution is the collaboration between SWAG and the city.

Recognizing that this downriver master plan isn't just for that portion of the river, that portion of the city, but if it is handled through the community's voices, if it's handled successfully, then it becomes an asset for everyone.

SWAG included people who were advocates of transit, advocates of providing access to nature and green spaces, of housing, affordability and diversity, and neighborhood commercial.

All of these community concerns were brought forward through that years of work to culminate in that downriver master plan that we've all been looking at.

I want to thank my predecessor, Tommy Smith, former vice mayor and first district councilman for his leadership and commitment to this effort.

And I can say that it was matched with the community's engagement and the community's interest to get it right.

Because they had started not at with everyone at the same place.

Hey, that's the adaptive use that we really wanted to have there.

Hey, that's the access to the river that we're really talking about.

Ideas like that that had been talked about were coming back to us.

And that to me was the real sign of a successful process.

The city, the community, KCDC, all of these different organizations working together.

And that's what we've got with the Downriver Master Plan.

And the reason I'm so supportive of it is that this is the document that if we vote on it favorably tonight, it becomes the thing that we can test any RFQ, any RFP, our proposals that come forward.

We can look and see do we have alignment?

Is the spirit and intent of this proposal in alignment with what the community has said?

Because we know what that will be.

Thank you.

Councilmember Parker.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um I am uh a child of South Knoxville, grew up in South Knoxville and lived in South Knoxville until I went off to college, and then I lived in Fort Santers.

Um lived on campus first, actually.

But when I first heard of these plans, I had concerns.

And those concerns have continued, to be quite honest.

I appreciate the neighbors who've gotten involved, and some of those who've shown up and inserted themselves even when they weren't invited to do so.

It's been a long process.

And it's been one that I know some have in some ways given up on because it moved in a direction that they weren't happy with.

But others were able to move it forward.

Some of my major concerns are when I was first elected.

Some of the pains from previous development projects were still present in the community.

And one of those UT's expansion.

And perhaps because we had come recently come out of the recode process.

People were anxious to find ways to protect their neighborhoods and prevent changes happening to them rather than them be a part of them.

And UT's expansion into Fort Sanders and then towards University Avenue was something that continued to be brought up.

And so when I saw this plan and the connection that it had to UT's expansion, it just made me a little bit nervous.

And as I see you know, UT continuing to exert its powers through imminent domain, it concerns me.

So I'm just one voice, one vote, one vote of caution that some of those.

Certainly has residential commercial recreational plans incorporated.

That makes sense for there to be kind of a uh economic development lens that's applied.

But the same should not be the case for Chihuahua.

When we received notice as a council of the plans to create the task force for Chihuahua, you know, it included our urban design and uh development staff.

It included our KC DC folks.

Uh, and that confused me of of why they're a part of this process, prominent folks attached to this process, and it concerns me that the approach might be taken in terms of uh economic development rather than park preservation and development.

Uh I pointed to neighborhood involvement in a park we talked about it earlier with Lakeshore.

If you look at the history of Lakeshore, uh that that rolled over from the state to the city, and then the city partnered with community members on the management of it, and that's how the Lakeshore Conservancy was developed.

Parker, um that concludes your five minutes.

Any other comments or questions from other members of council?

I don't see any other lights on our council member Grant.

I was just gonna say that we can move the question.

Okay, um motions been made to call for the question.

Is there a second to that motion?

Second.

Okay.

All those in favor of calling the question, please say aye.

Any opposed?

Okay, the motion carries.

We'll vote on the original motion.

All those in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Any opposed?

I will abstain.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

And thank you, members of uh the community who participated in this for so many years.

Appreciate it.

Okay.

Next item, please.

13 V is an ordinance of the council of the city of Knoxville to amend chapter 2, Article 3, Division 2, Section 2-450 of the Knoxville City Code to adjust the classification and compensation plans.

Second.

Motion made to approve and seconded.

Any questions or discussion?

Councilmember Parker.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, I had a lot of questions concerning this agenda item uh that I have submitted to our new human races sources department director, and um I'm waiting for those answers.

Hope to get them soon.

Um, but I was informed that this resolution is to prepare for uh uh a new uh comprehensive um salary study.

And uh so my questions were you know, um, to get an understanding of council member Parker, I believe you might be talking uh about item that passed earlier, the longevity pay plan.

Is it or we talk about the classification compensation plan?

This this ordinance is just for uh in addition for one new classification to the plan.

Uh it's for please as you should just wait just a second.

Sorry, um sorry uh let if we could call on HR.

Uh why don't you to just share with council members uh what this is and what it isn't, and I don't think it has anything to do with the let me clarify my question.

Okay.

Um I have questions about our compensation plans.

And we put changes in place in 2022, and I have questions about um the implementation of those changes to our compensation plans.

And so um uh that's one issue that I wanted to bring up.

Um I mean, the the plan that we uh passed in 2022 stated that you know additional amendments to the plan, additional new classifications would take place, but we haven't gotten a sense of because the goal of these changes was to um um improve our uh retention and recruitment.

And so I'm trying to get a sense of all of the changes that we've made to our compensation plans as we prepare for a 2026-2027 study.

Does that make sense?

Yes, I think that is a very broad question that's a little bit beyond the scope of this particular agenda item.

But if if um Mary Margaret Murray, our deputy director of HR, or Betsy Cunningham, our new director of HR, could uh clarify what council members are voting on tonight on this item.

Yes, and please start by and I want to introduce you.

This is Betsy Cunningham, who's been working for the city for now two months about.

Yes.

Um, we're glad to have you, and Mary Margaret Murray has been recently promoted as a deputy director of HR.

So um thank you both for being part of our uh efforts to attract and retain great talent to our city.

Could you speak to this agenda item and and what council's version of the I know um council member Parker?

Um you uh reached out to me yesterday via email regarding some additional information uh on the matter that you voted on earlier regarding our longevity study request.

That's an RFP that we'll be conducting uh soon.

In regard to the many questions you had, uh I responded to you briefly and said I'll be happy to research those and get back to you.

Uh I've just not been able to do so um within the last day or so.

And director Cunningham, what is the item before them tonight?

I'm sorry.

What is the item before them tonight?

The item before you now is regarding the new position that uh we are establishing for uh the vision zero manager, and that's why it asked Mayor Margaret up here because she's been handling that one specifically.

Okay if you have specific requests.

Ms.

Murray, could you speak to try to address council member parker's questions about this?

Just my question is as um tonight we're at we're being asked to add a new position.

I'm trying to put it on the public record, the conversation that I started with you by email, so that we can get more information on all of the um new classifications, new compensation plans that have been adopted into our uh code uh since 2022 to improve uh city services to improve recruitment and retention.

That's simply it.

I would just simply like that information as we head into a conversation of a new uh classification compensation plan.

Okay, thank you for the request, and we'll get back to you as we can.

Um any further questions or discussion from council vice mayor if you get thank you.

Since you're up there, would you like to tell us what this is?

Because it looks like the funds are being transferred from the police budget to the city budget.

So it I assume this is a new position for the city's department because they're gonna do the work that was in the police department.

Is that part of it?

Correct.

Yes, the um the the crossing guard program is going to be moving from KPD over to engineering.

Currently, engineering has a vision zero program that I know you all are quite familiar with.

Um that crossing guard program will fall under the scope of vision zero.

So this position is essentially uh continuing to establish a stronger team, a stronger support system given that move.

Uh part of the hope in doing it here in March is so that we can get people in positions, get folks trained.

We would have two full-time staff members really overseeing the crossing guard program there through Vision Zero, and then whenever they all move over, ideally 7-1, we've already got a really strong system in place and things are ready to go coming summer.

Thank you.

I will just say I wholeheartedly support this because I think uh law enforcement's best use is not managing the crossing guards.

And I and I think it is now where it needs to be within the right department.

So thank you.

Councilmember Parker, do you still have your light on?

Do you have further questions on this item?

Um no.

Okay.

Seeing no further questions, uh, all those in favor, please say aye.

All right.

Any opposed?

Motion carries.

All right.

Uh we'll move right along to public forum.

We have five people signed up.

I think some of them may have departed already.

We'll find out.

First is Kashi Farmer.

Is Kashi Farmer present?

Okay.

Next is Joseph Cronick.

Is Joseph Cronik present?

Okay, Mr.

Cronick, if you could uh come up to the podium, please state your name and address for the record, and you'll have up to three minutes to address counsel I'm Joe Cronick, uh 2045 staff drive mascot.

Um I guess uh I lost a lot of my um homeless um friends uh care cuts and the warming center folks at Vestal and Magnolia and uh relaunch and CARM.

Um homeless uh topic's been pretty big today, and I was hoping really to jump in when the when of the for with a big bang, but um a lot of people are concerned about it, and and that's really nice to see.

And I brought it up before, and I I don't know the procedures of how to get things done.

I just figure if I just keep speaking, maybe somebody will direct me in the right uh direction.

But um the homelessness is a problem, and um what I'd like to see is uh I want to and I brought it up before is is starting a homeless workers' union.

And um the idea for that is um if you can go to you take a guy that's under the bridge or CARM and he wants to get out of that hole the he you we could feed them and and and give them some shelter, but if he doesn't have an income and dignity um you know you you know as well as I do.

It's just it's it's a revolving door.

And um I'd like to see, and and I mentioned this before about starting small.

If I could I I see guys under the bridge, we we my wife and I we we volunteer um you know it's hard to get a job if you can't shower or if you know um a lot of getting to a job.

I mean, there's so many different things involved in this, but um a lot of people in down there um you know things have happened in their life, and they some people just can't function under normal what we consider normal circumstances, and um from their childhood or drug abuse, and I'm a recovered addict and alcoholic, and um by the grace of God.

I I I worked all my life and I served in the military as well.

And um, I just feel my part is to try to help these folks that are down and out, and um I know there's plenty of jobs, there's plenty of empty lots that need cleaning, there's uh empty houses, HUD houses that need basic day labor type work, you know, and um my idea is to organize a few guys start small and start working if we can just get um some things going with the city, and it's maybe uh it's kind of a progressive idea, but it could it could be something other cities could even follow someday.

Thank you, uh Mr.

Cronick.

Uh, I'll ask someone from my staff to get you uh Aaron Reed's contact information at the conclusion of the meeting.

Okay, the right person to talk to.

Uh next person signed up to speak at public forum is Donna Braquet.

If you could state your name, I hope I didn't mispronounce your last name.

If you could state your name and address for the record, you'll have up to three minutes to address council.

Donna Brock, 5610 Chapman Highway, South Knoxville.

Um, I guess I'm a little bit disappointed tonight that it seems like the only thing the council was willing to do is talk about warming centers and cooling centers.

Um, but in three months it'll be June.

And in last year, there were seven days in June when it was over 90.

There were 25 days in July over 90, and six days in August over 90.

In total, there were 12 days that were over 94 degrees.

And this is just temperature.

This isn't including heat index, right.

Um, I guess I see looks of concern on your faces now, but my reasoning for saying I'm disappointed is that people freezing to death and burning of heat exhaustion can't wait, right?

They can't wait.

Um more and more and more and more time.

More homeless people die of heat than even the cold.

More people in general die of heat illnesses than hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods all combined, according to the National Weather Service.

So now like right now is the time to set up partnerships, policies, and procedures for cooling centers, right?

The warming center season's over.

We've got beautiful days outside right now, but it's gonna get sweltering hot again.

Again, this is a health issue, it's a life and death issue.

The emergency departments and health departments should be included and involved, not just Office of Housing Stability.

That's a more a long-term thing.

There needs to be transportation for cat throughout the day because it'll get hot during the day.

Text alerts for homeless folks because they don't have the internet and can't access social media and websites.

If you're not willing to do it for our most vulnerable homeless people, think about maybe your seniors in your areas in your districts who can't afford to pay for air conditioning, or maybe that family who's their HVAC goes out and they can't afford to go to a hotel to stay comfortable.

Um this is the time.

Let's use this summer, set up cooling centers to pilot new strategies and programs.

Now's the time, y'all.

Let's do it.

Thank you all so much.

Thank you.

Next person signed up to speak is Rick Roach.

You'll have up to three minutes to address counsel.

Still a runaway slave.

Two years ago, I guess, uh 2024.

We had a ongoing visual about how to do government and local government, how people are to participate.

A lot of contention, and it was over resolutions that Councilwoman Parker had introduced concerning addressing what was going on over in Palestine and the genocide, ethnic cleansing, whatever you want to call it, a lot of people dying.

Men, women, children, non-combatants.

And we were given as the young people, a lot of them coming from university, got involved, and they were participating in the democratic process of governance and having their voices heard, so they thought.

Okay, to the point that some lame excuse about the balcony being shut down when it was a packed house, and we had to funnel in and out.

And I remember I was already on the agenda to speak to uh to an ordinance, and I didn't get that opportunity to do that because you all decided to do uh what is a consent thing and just do it all together because you had to talk about the resolution which you knew you weren't going to act on.

Okay.

Now, some of you are new, so you weren't part of that process, but you knew what was going on.

You you understand what was going on.

And we were told that it wasn't germane.

Now, July of that year, I get a picture on Facebook of our mayor, Randy Boyd, uh Tim Burchett, and a whole bunch of other government officials meeting with the Israeli council general, shaking hands, smiling, yeah, got a support.

Come on.

Come on.

But we couldn't let the voices of concerned citizens speak.

And you all as a body, most of you weren't here then.

I don't know how it would have turned out, decided not to address that.

Okay.

And I'm starting to feel some of that thing coming back now, just in addressing situations that have been in place for a long time, and you're refusing to address it.

Next person signed up to speak is Vivian Scheipe.

Ms.

Scheipe, are you still present?

I think she has uh left the building.

Anyone see Ms.

Scheipe?

Okay, that's the last person who signed up to speak, so without objection, this meeting is adjourned.