Ethics are top of mind in scandal-riddled Knox County. Commissioners want to make changes

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28-04-2025

Ethics are the talk of the town.
As state investigators make their way through Knox County government offices, county commissioners are taking a look at some of their own ethical issues.
Two commissioners have sponsored a rules change that would prevent commissioners with family members who work for Knox County to sit on committees that oversee those offices.
It seems like a basic conflict of interest, and many commissioners wouldn't volunteer to serve on committees that deal with departments that pay their family members' salaries. But county rules don't prevent it.
What's proposed: Knox County Commissioner Terry Hill and Courtney Durrett pitched the rule change, which will go into front of the rules committee and the full commission. It says a commissioner cannot serve on a committee if they have a family member working in any Knox County government department or agency overseen, regulated or investigated by that committee.
The hypothetical problem: If a department is being investigated internally, as two have been in recent months, a commissioner could theoretically leak information to their relative.
Want to study up? Check out the full proposal at commission.knoxcountytn.gov. Click the agenda tab on the left and then select the rules committee option. It's item 7.
And there's more ......
Knox County School Board chair Betsy Henderson spoke Jan. 28 to legislators in Nashville in support of dramatically expanding private school vouchers. Just days before her speech, the Republican-majority Knox County school board voted against including vouchers in its 2025 legislative priorities.
Henderson's advocacy sparked criticism from some constituents, including Hill, her counterpart on the commission. Hill took the rare step of publicly rebuking Henderson, telling her it was a "gross misuse of a position of power" to push for vouchers in Nashville.
Hill asked the school board on March 6 to consider instating ethics reforms on itself. She's following up with this rules change proposal, though it only applies to the commission. Hill as a commissioner cannot tell the school board what to do.
What's proposed: Hill is proposing that if commission chair is speaking publicly about an issue, they have to disclose that their position differs from the commission's, even if they are advocating as a private citizen.
What Hill said: "Whenever your vote is with the minority on a particular issue, support your board and share responsibility for that decision," Hill said March 6. "I know what it is when you carry a personal belief about something and the board does not support you. Regardless, it's still your responsibility to remember that you are elected to this board for the views of your constituents."
Want to study up? Check out the full proposal at commission.knoxcountytn.gov. Click the agenda tab on the left and then select the rules committee option. It's item 8.
How to attend the meeting where they'll discuss both ethics issues: The discussion is set for 1 p.m. April 28 in the small assembly room of the City-County Building at 400 Main St.
If you miss it: The committee will discuss the proposals and decide whether or not to forward them to the whole commission, which will decide whether to make the changes.
It seems like the whole country is taking stock of how federal dollars are spent. Knox County Commissioner Andy Fox will propose a change that adds an extra layer to the county's applications for federal grants.
At the same meeting, the commission will vote whether to accept dollars to help the homeless community.
Fox's proposal: The county's grants department applies for state and federal help and then seeks the commission's approval before accepting the money. Fox wants commissioners to know before the department even send in the application. Commissioners would be able to approve or deny the application, and they could also postpone it (potentially past the deadline).
Money commissioners will vote on: The county anticipates $1,610,000 in anticipated funds from the government for housing affordability and stability.
Important date: The commission will meet at 3 p.m. April 28 in the main assembly room of the City-County Building at 400 Main St.
Want to study up? Check out the full proposal at commission.knoxcountytn.gov. Click the agenda tab on the left and then select the commission option. It's item 48.
Payments in lieu of taxes are a tool Knoxville uses to subsize affordable housing built by private developers. The city won't get the full amount of taxes on property that it normally would in exchange for something that benefits city residents.
Payments in lieu of taxes are essentially tax freezes. If developers agree to keep rental prices within a certain range for a certain period of time, they only have to pay the city and county the current property taxes for the entire length of the the agreement.
The city council will discuss two different projects.
Apartments at 2501 Edgewood Ave. will have 15 ADA-accessible units that will be reserved for those who make incomes at or below 30% of Knoxville's median income of $51,000 for one person.
Apartments at 2226 Parkview Ave. will have 10 studio and one-bedroom units that will be reserved for those who make incomes at or below 80% of Knoxville's median income of $51,000 for one person.
Important date: The city council will meet at 6 p.m. April 29 in the main assembly room of the City-County Building, 400. Main St.
Want to study up? Check out the council's agenda at knoxvilletn.gov/government/city_council. Click the agenda option and select April 29. They're items 11.t and 11.v.
Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: [e-mail] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County commissioners hope to introduce ethics changes