KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Knoxville City Council met at 6 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss proposals like sidewalk improvements, building a walkway on a large bridge and whether to spend an additional $1 million for the Real Time Information Center.
One council member, Amelia Parker, also proposed a moratorium on issuing building permits along the South Knoxville waterfront. It was meant to give the Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission a chance to evaluate the area, recommend changes, hold a public hearing and give the council a chance to discuss changes to the city's zoning code, according to the resolution.
Councilmembers are also expected to meet on Wednesday at 6 p.m. for a special meeting discussing a recent proposal in the state legislature that would change how the city conducts elections.
The proposal failed due to a lack of a second motion. Other items on the council's agenda are listed below.
The City council will discuss whether to increase the contract price of building a "Real Time Information Center" at the Public Safety Complex. The center would allow the Knoxville Police Department to watch 15 cameras around the city in real time.
The cameras are expected to cover the Market Square area, the Old City and the areas around shelters on West Broadway.
The center would be built on the sixth floor of the Public Safety Complex. Messer Construction would build it. The new contract price for the entire complex, which will also house several other public agencies, is expected to be set at around $53.4 million.
The city council is also expected to vote on whether to spend around $2.5 million to build around 3,800 feet of sidewalk along Old Broadway, from the northern intersection with Broadway to the intersection of Mineral Springs Avenue.
Whaley Construction would build the sidewalks. Work is expected to take around a year to complete. According to the city, the sidewalks would connect Fountain City to neighborhoods south of Sharps Ridge, separating pedestrians from the I-640 interchange on Broadway.
City council members are expected to discuss whether to hire Gresham Smith to design a walkway along a bridge connecting East Knoxville to South Knoxville, stretching over the Tennessee River.
The new walkway would be built on James White Parkway, connecting Anita Drive on the south side and the Morningside Greenway on the north side.
It is also expected to connect bike and pedestrian networks in South Knoxville to East Knoxville, effectively creating more access to the city's miles of Urban Wilderness trails.
The walkway is being partly paid for through a State Multimodal Grant, as well as federal funding from the Transportation Improvement Plan, according to the city.
The project would need to be completed before Oct. 6, 2027, according to the city.
The city council is expected to discuss whether to spend $250,000 to expand a climate assessment of the Knoxville Police Department that would build off a previous assessment last year.
The assessment would be done by 21CP Solutions, who provided short-term and long-term solutions to improve the department in August 2022. The second phase would expand their work and provide additional assessments on several aspects of the department.
Some of the things the organization would look into are listed below.
- Recruitment, hiring, promotion and retention practices
- Policies and practices on critical interactions with the public
- Training including recruit, Field Training Officer, and in-service
- Officer misconduct and accountability systems and citizen complaint process
- Staffing and deployment
- Employee safety and wellness
- Calls for service, dispatch priorities, and alternative responses
The assessments would start on April 1 and would continue through September 30.