Knoxville City Council tonight agreed with Mayor Indya Kincannon: Voters should have the right to decide in November if they want to increase the Local Option Sales Tax by a ½ cent to enable the City to build more sidewalks, add more park amenities, pave more roads, and affordably house more families.

Kincannon proposed the ballot referendum that, if successful, would generate $47 million a year to add quality-of-life amenities to all neighborhoods and relieve the strain on public infrastructure that’s struggling to keep pace with a vibrant, growing Knoxville. Most of the tax revenue would come from tourists and visiting shoppers, not City residents.

A majority of Council members (a 7-1 vote with one abstention) supported putting the Local Option Sales Tax referendum on the ballot. Council will take a second and final vote on June 24.

Kincannon publicly shared a five-year plan that details specifically how the new revenue would be allocated. Click HERE.

The plan prioritizes:

• Sidewalks close to schools

• Much-needed repairs to existing greenways, public facilities and parks – plus, eight new greenway extensions

• Paving 75 additional miles of streets, in addition to the 35 or so miles a year currently being resurfaced

•      An additional 1,000 affordable housing units would be constructed; the extra $10 million a year would double the City’s already historically large investment aimed at easing the local housing crisis