Mayor's 2026 State of the City Address

	Kincannon Proposed Budget Prioritizes People, Public Safety, Parks and Housing
	Event Program
	State of the City Video by Knoxville Community Media
	2026-2027 Proposed Operating Budget [PDF]

Good morning!

Thank you all for coming.

Welcome to the Urban Wilderness Gateway Park.  

Years ago this road was gonna cut through the woods all the way to Sevier County. The project stalled, and people realized the beauty and value of these rolling foothills. Instead of lamenting the loss of this asset, people got busy, worked with local leaders, and made a plan.  

In 2013, we stopped that unnecessary extension, and now, 13 years later, we are celebrating the transformation of this space into a family-friendly Gateway to over 1000 acres of Urban Wilderness. Big thanks to all the community members who made this possible, and to Mayor Madeline Rogero, who led the charge!

So, I have to ask—-who has ever planted a tree on Arbor Day?

I vividly remember the first tree I ever planted.  It was an April day in 3rd grade. My elementary school had an Arbor Day celebration. We sang songs about trees, wrote poems about trees, planted trees, Mr. Dorsey, the PE Teacher, had us do tree-themed warm-ups: Toes, Knees, Chest, Nut, Trees. (step aside, repeat) Gimme a break…it was the 70s!  

Best of all, we all got our own little pine tree to bring home. I’m sure some of the seedlings never made it home, much less got planted, but I was a conscientious little girl. My tiny seedling survived the bus ride home, and my parents let me plant it in a rocky little corner of our yard.  It was really far from the house, way too far for a hose. I watered it once or twice, and was careful not to mow it over. And then, in one of those everyday miracles, the tree survived!  By the time I graduated from High School it was 20 feet tall  - a strong evergreen tree that provided shade, beauty and shelter.  The little seedling I planted was now taller than me!  I was so proud.

Today we are bringing that joy and hope to people across Knoxville.  Since I have been Mayor, we have planted nearly 20% of Knoxville’s public trees! With nearly 2000 trees being planted in the last 16 months alone!

None of this would be possible without our amazing non-profit partner, Trees Knoxville. 

They recruit nearly 600 volunteers a year, work side by side with Kasey Krouse, our Urban Forester, collaborate with the Knoxville City Tree Board and many other partners.  

Our goal is for Knoxville’s tree canopy coverage to reach 40% by 2040, and we are doing that by concentrating on 3 simple things:

1. More Trees
2. Better Trees
3. And, Trees for All

Reaching this goal takes people like Tom and Paula Welborn—2 volunteers— who have planted more trees than any other volunteers in Knoxville! 

Tom co-founded Trees Knoxville, and Paula helps plant and maintain trees in North Knoxville—one part of town that needs more trees to protect us from extreme heat.

Can Tom, Paula, Kasey, everyone with Trees Knoxville, the Tree Board—and anyone who has volunteered recently at a tree planting—please stand to be recognized.

Thank you all for everything you do!

It seems only fitting that we are here on this Arbor Day—because a city is a lot like a tree.

Both are :

• Alive
• Adaptive
• And….constantly balancing Growth and Stability

I am fortunate to have followed a series of effective leaders, who cultivated a strong, rooted foundation for our City.  

To Mayor Rogero, Mayor Dan Brown, Mayor Bill Haslam, Mayor Victor Ashe—and all my predecessors—thank you for your steadfast leadership that has helped our city weather some pretty big storms.

Planting a tree signifies hope. 

Hope—coupled with great leadership, thoughtful planning, and a clear vision—can be transformative.

Knoxville has proven that—time and time again—-as we have weathered the changing seasons.

Take a look…..




Hope is a powerful thing. It can help us weather some teasing from the Simpsons, dream about flying cars, and HOPE helps us focus on what really matters, even during turbulent times.

Right now there’s a lot of uncertainty in the global economy and that affects local government too. We must be good stewards of tax payer dollars—now more than ever. 

As gas prices spike —we are spending nearly $7500 more per day to keep our police, fire, KAT and public service vehicles on the road.

The City has a tight budget this year— and I know many Knoxville families are tightening their belts as well. So I am glad to say that my budget proposal covers essential services, WITHOUT RAISING TAXES.

5 years ago I was going to too many funerals. People came to me, in grief, asking what are we going to do to stop the violence. Well today I’m grateful to say that we’ve weeded out crime, and cultivated peace.  

Already this year, we have seen:

• 21% drop in property crimes
• 19% drop in robberies
• 82% drop in non-fatal shootings
• And, [Knock on wood] ZERO murders. That’s right, ZERO.
 
KPD is fully staffed for the first time in years;
Our violence interruption efforts are working; and
Trust between the community and the police is much higher.

These results haven’t happened by accident.  It’s an on-going collaborative effort by many.  Would everyone here today from KPD, the Office of Community Safety and Empowerment, and our community partners—please raise your hands?  You are saving lives —and we appreciate you!

This drop in crime is happening at the same time as a lot of growth.  Almost 12,000 more people live in Knoxville today than when I took office in 2019, and that doesn’t include the growing numbers of visitors and commuters.

To keep our growing city safe, and to avoid stretching our officers too thin, I am proposing to add 5 new police officers to the force.

This would be the first time we’ve added to our police force in decades.  

Keeping people safe also means a well-trained professional fire department that answers the call 24/7/365. Heart attacks, overdoses, swiftwater rescues, fires, haz-mat spills, trench rescues - whatever the emergency, our fire fighters are there to save lives.

To answer those calls, our firefighters need top notch equipment. I’m proposing close to $1 million for new life saving radios and defibrillators.

Our firefighters also deserve modern living quarters. 

Later this year we will open the new Burlington Fire Station—the first new station in nearly 50 years…At the same time—we have fire stations that are more than 70 years old and are in desperate need of updating.  That’s why, my budget proposal also includes almost $1m to renovate Station #15 in Fountain City.

While we have made huge strides reducing violent crime in our city, we have to be just as zealous in our efforts to reduce fatalities from roadway crashes. Our goal is ZERO fatalities on city streets by 2040.   

Since 2023—we have seen 31% fewer traffic-related deaths—and we are going to keep driving that number down!

This budget contains $1.6 million that will go directly to our Vision Zero initiatives. Things like sidewalk repairs, ADA curb cuts, traffic calming, speed cameras in school zones…and more!

That money is on top of the nearly $10 million for paving and maintaining roads, sidewalks and signals across the City. 

Whether walking, biking or driving— everyone should be able to move around our city safely!

I mentioned that Knoxville is growing. It’s a dynamic time! But all that growth has created a severe housing shortage.  We are meeting the moment and delivering results.

In the past 5 years, our $50 million dollar investment has helped build more than 3000 new affordable homes in places like:

• Western Heights
• First Creek at Austin
• Liberty Place
• Callahan Flats
• And, many more…we have a lot to celebrate!
 
3000 new affordable homes represents hope and a home for thousands of Knoxville neighbors.

Rosa Paschal is one such neighbor.  In 2023, a storm damaged her home beyond repair.

She didn’t know where to turn, but our Housing and Neighborhood Development team connected her to the City’s Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation program. That gave Rosa access to money and contractors to rebuild her home from scratch.  Rosa picked out all the appliances, cabinetry and a beautiful purple color for the interior walls.  

After years of struggling and worry—-Rosa cut the ribbon on her brand new home this past fall.

Rosa, we’re so glad we could help you rebuild your home in the neighborhood where you have so many special memories—can you please stand to be recognized.

This year, our commitment to housing continues to grow.

I am proposing more than $8 million in this year's budget to continue our Transformation of Western Heights, and to help build a new Habitat for Humanity community in the Alice Bell neighborhood.

It takes time to build affordable homes, and our homeless neighbors need help right now.  We had some cold nights this past winter, but we should all be proud that no one was turned away from a warm place to stay and a hot meal.  Thank you to the churches and partners who make that safety net possible.

My budget dedicates $2 million to Homelessness prevention—including ½ million toward warming centers and more support for the Joint Office of Housing Stability.

And, we know Community is about more than just a roof over your head.  

It’s about connectivity, places to gather, and projects that make you proud to call Knoxville home….like where we are today. 

This past year we opened Covenant Health Park, completed major improvements at Augusta Quarry, and we reopened the Gay Street bridge to bikers and walkers.

Last year people all across the community helped create and adopt a Parks and Rec Master Plan.  This budget is the first step to turning that plan into reality.  

Even though we lost a huge federal grant—we are still pushing forward with connectivity projects in East Knoxville.  This budget includes money for First Creek Greenway connections and a protected path across the James White Parkway bridge…and thanks to Legacy Parks and Pete Claussen, the long awaited Rails to Trails project is finally happening.  This budget includes a bigger contract for AMBC so they can help us build the G&O path and maintain trails in the Urban Wilderness and Sharps Ridge!  We love being a Trail Town!

You heard the kids in the video….as we head into the hot summer months, they want water parks and waterslides! While I may not be able to swing that, I am excited to announce that this budget includes design money for a splash pad at Victor Ashe Park.  It won’t be done this summer, but we are getting things started!

This budget recognizes that some of our hardest working employees are those who take care of kids in our after-school programs, summer camps, and City pools.  That’s why I’m proposing that all permanent part-time positions at our Community Centers—get upgraded to full-time, with benefits.
 
My proposed budget also reflects our commitment to Chilhowee Park. 
 
We are excited to welcome the Muse into the Jacob Building later this year, and this budget includes significant investments for Zoo Knoxville.  
 
As promised, I’m proposing $2m for Chilhowee Park capital improvements and hiring 4 new full-time Public Service workers to update this historic gem from a rental venue to a park, open to the public, same as our other parks.
 
Now to our people and our programs. 

We have more than 1,600 employees who keep our city running.

Last year we:

• Patched more than 4700 potholes
• Planted nearly 26,000 flowers and shrubs
• Responded to more than 300,000 calls for service 
• Provided more than 2.6 million rides on KAT buses
• And I could go on…..

We are in the service business, so not surprisingly, the bulk of our budget goes to salaries and benefits.

In 2022, we did a compensation study that led to historic raises for City employees.  

This budget continues to invest in competitive wages and benefits for ALL City employees, adds incentive pay for general government workers, and funds another study to make sure we stay competitive going forward.  

Paying people fairly and treating them well is not just the right thing to do, it also motivates city employees to do their best for the neighbors we serve.

Thank you, City of Knoxville employees.

Our City thrives thanks to so many nonprofit partners. This budget contains nearly $ 3 million to support organizations like:

• Legal Aid for Eviction Prevention programs, 
• Second Harvest for food assistance for struggling families
• After school programming through the the Boys and Girls Clubs
• And, support for health and addiction service providers

All told—this budget supports more than 72 community-serving organizations!
 
This may be a tight budget, but we remain committed to investing in programs that help neighbors across the city!

On this Arbor Day, we are thankful for the Trees that absorb stormwater and provide shade and beauty. Trees are just one part of our efforts to be a resilient city.   

Two days ago, on Earth Day, we flipped the switch on a new solar array on top of EV Davidson Community Center—this is our 7th rooftop solar array…and we will be installing at least 4 more on City buildings this coming year!

I am proposing over $2 million in more energy-efficiency upgrades to roofs and HVAC systems at City buildings!
 
These investments ultimately pay for themselves by reducing utility bills, while also cutting our emissions.

Our City Fleet has more hybrid and EVs than ever, and that saves us at least $135k annually.  

This budget includes money for 20 free new public EV charging stations, bringing our total to 60, so Knoxville drivers can save money too.

Knoxville neighbors deserve clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and a healthy future.  

We are doing our part!! 

We have a gift for you today—loblolly pine seedlings for everyone to take home and plant.  

If you don’t have a yard of your own, talk to one of our arborists and we will find a place for you to plant it.  

Planting that tree when I was 8 years-old made me feel like I could make a difference.  That is what we want for all Knoxville neighbors.  

One final thought before I close….

“A society grows GREAT when people plant trees whose shade they will never sit in.”

Go and Be GREAT Knoxville!

• 2026-2027 Budget Information • 2026-2027 Proposed Operating Budget [PDF] • 2025-2026 Six Month Financial Report [PDF] • Budget Archive (budgets from years 2001-current) January 20-22, 2026 - Capital Budget Hearings / Meetings with Departments February 13, 2026 - City of Knoxville Budget Retreat and Six Month Financial Report released March 5-6, 2026 - Mayor's Budget Hearings  April 24, 2026 - Mayor's State of the City Address and Proposed Annual Operating Budget released April 28, 2026 - City Council First Reading of Proposed Budget & Tax Ordinances May 2026 - Knoxville-Knox Planning Commission Hearing on CIP May 2026 - Legislative Budget Hearings & Public Hearing May 26, 2026 - City Council Second Reading of Proposed Budget & Tax Ordinances June 15 2026 - Last Day to Approve Budget & Tax Ordinances July 1, 2026 - New Fiscal Year Begins