Kincannon Proposed Budget Prioritizes Public Safety, Affordable Housing, Quality Services, Key Investments
Touting “the power of teamwork” at the new Covenant Health Park stadium, Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon today proposed her $477.3 million net budget.
Her proposal prioritizes high-quality City services and public safety while strategically investing in key capital projects and tackling critical, long-standing deferred maintenance.
Kincannon’s budget also continues an unprecedented and historic investment in affordable housing and increases the City’s support for services aimed at easing homelessness – including more funding for winter warming centers and increased shelter beds.
The proposed budget is balanced, and the City’s property tax rate remains unchanged at $2.1556 per $100 of assessed value – the lowest tax rate since 1974.
“This budget allocates money and resources to address our most pressing shared community priorities, while also compassionately extending a lifeline to our most vulnerable residents,” Mayor Kincannon said.
The Mayor delivered her sixth State of the City Address at Covenant Health Park because the stadium project exemplifies her faith in the enduring strength of collaboration. Many partners worked together to build the publicly-owned stadium; Kincannon has long emphasized that it belongs to the people of Knoxville and improves the quality of life of residents citywide, while also creating jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in new investments and new economic opportunities.
Mayor Kincannon’s proposed budget continues to prioritize the core values of her administration – ensuring public safety; enhancing healthy and connected communities; realizing a clean, resilient future; creating thriving businesses and good jobs; and providing high-quality efficient City services.
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• $101.2 million — By far, the biggest piece of Mayor Kincannon’s proposed budget is for police and firefighters – 21.2 percent of the total net City budget
• $225,000 — Targeted salary increases to bring firefighters up to market-level salaries; additionally, the budget contains funds to cover stipends for the growing number of firefighters who are obtaining advanced EMT and paramedic training
• $8 million — total cost of a new state-of-the-art Burlington fire station; groundbeaking later this year
• $350,000 — Police Department explosives-removal robot
• $1.1 million — City’s Violence Interruption Fund
• $14 million — Road safety (road and bridge repairs, sidewalk repairs, $1.8 million for Vision Zero programs)
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• $8.2 million — Affordable housing
- $4.2 million to Transforming Western, part of a six-year $26.2 million City commitment
- $2.5 million to the Affordable Rental Development Fund
- $1.5 million for permanent supportive housing
• More than $1.3 million — Support to partners providing homelessness and housing instability services, including roughly $350,000 to increase the number of shelter beds and support winter warming centers
• $3.1 million — Parks and community center improvements, including money for Lakeshore Park, community playgrounds and ballfields, and pool improvements across the City
• $12 million — Upgrades at the Convention Center, the Knoxville Coliseum and Auditorium (including a new marquee), and a $7 million-plus make-over of the World's Fair Park Amphitheater
• $1.4 million — Support for Zoo Knoxville’s upgrades to animal exhibits and guest amenities
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• $2.5 million — Repairs and upgrades to City building roofs and heating/ventilation systems
• $500,000 — Community charging stations and other sustainable innovations
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• $3 million — Support to Knoxville’s key economic development partners, such as the Knoxville Chamber, KCDC, Visit Knoxville, and the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center
• Continued funding to support business development in Knoxville’s Latino/Hispanic community in partnership with Centro Hispano, and support for small businesses that are launching or expanding
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• $25 million — Lump-sum payment on Convention Center debt; this saves $30.2 million in total debt service payments over time – plus, the City will pay off the Convention Center in 2030, two years ahead of schedule
• Community Agency Grants funding for local arts organizations, social service non-profits, youth-development service providers, and health-care providers:
- $560,000 – Arts and culture community organizations
- More than $1 million – Local non-profits providing community and social services (such as Legal Aid, Second Harvest and Nourish Knoxville)
- $520,000 – Agencies responding to local health needs (such as Cherokee Health Systems, InterFaith Health Center, Kim Health Center, and the Mental Health Association of East Tennessee)
- $300,000 from opioid remediation class-action legal settlements – Service providers (Positively Living, Volunteer Ministry Center, the Salvation Army, Metro Drug Coalition, and UT Medical Center)
- $329,000 – Support to groups that offer education and youth development programs (such Emerald Youth Foundation, Girl Talk Inc., 100 Black Men, and A1 Learning Connections)
• $600,000 — Beck Cultural Exchange Center
- A $100,000 contract to celebrate Black Knoxvillians and their impact on the City’s history and culture
- $500,000 previously allocated toward the restoration of the family home of renowned artists Beauford and Joseph Delaney
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