The Knox County Commission is meeting to discuss the local Board of Health and its power to enforce guidance and mandates amid the COVID-19 pandemic that prompted its formation.
Mayor Glenn Jacobs was not in attendance.
A spokesperson who attended in Jacob's place said he could not be present due to a minor car wreck.
According to the Knoxville Police Department, Jacobs and Knox County Chief Operating Officer Bryan Hair were in a vehicle together heading south on Cedar Bluff Road near Peters Road around 1:30 p.m.
KPD said the driver of another vehicle also heading south reported that his foot slipped off the brake pedal and hit the gas pedal, causing them to hit the mayor's vehicle from behind. KPD said no one was cited.
The mayor's absence at the meeting also follows a week of tense interactions between himself and the Knox County Board of Health.
On Sept. 18, a controversial video featuring the mayor's narration was posted online by the group "Freedom Forward."
Last Wednesday, Knox County Board of Health Members confronted Mayor Glenn Jacobs over a 'threatening' video which he later apologized for making. He said it wasn't meant to attack them.
"I saw this video and it disturbed me. It disheartened me. It hurt. We are volunteers, we are the people,' said Patrick O'Brien, a board member. "As a military officer who has sworn to serve this country, I felt threatened by what I saw."
Jacobs later said that he would stand with O'Brien and anyone else who appeared at the commission's meeting.
The commission meeting is still in progress. A resolution is also being discussed that was presented last week that would strip power from the board.
It's a proposal that was met with both outspoken support and opposition and from various citizens, business owners and leaders in the community.