Latest news with #Kincannon
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Over $100M allocated to first responders in proposed Knoxville city budget
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — At the State of The City on Friday, Mayor Kincannon announced the largest expense of her proposed budget will be going to Knoxville Police and Fire departments. She plans to invest around 21%, or over $100 million, into higher pay, equipment, and a new fire station. The proposed budget will also allocate over $200,000 in salary increases to bring firefighters up to market-level salaries, and for the first time in 30 years, the City Of Knoxville Fire Department will be building a new station. 'I think this is a good city budget and strategic that serves a lot of areas, but it helps our folks in the fire department tremendously,' said KFD Assistant Chief Mark Wilbanks. Along with the rising cost of living, Wilbanks said an increase in salary will help keep firefighters on their feet. Virtual reality giving Cocke County students hands-on career experience 'Bringing us up to that market rate is very important for our firefighters because, it's expensive to live in this area, and it's extremely helpful to our folks to get a little bump in and pay, to help them out with their daily needs,' he said. Kincannon also announced they will be breaking ground on a new fire station in Burlington. This community is currently home to one of Knoxville's oldest fire stations, station number 6. 'The station opened in 1937, so there's been a lot of great firefighters come out of this station,' said the Captain of engine 6, Chris Hinkle. 'The community's great, there's going to be some history and nostalgia lost, but we're looking we're looking forward to having more room, better facilities.' In 2023, crews were relocated from the building for structural repairs. Having moved back temporality, Hinkle said currently they are working with limited space, storage, and resources. But he couldn't imagine serving anywhere else. 'We love the area, we love the community,' he said. 'They love us here, they treat us great, talk to us with their store, they're great with us when we're on calls, so we enjoy being in there and look forward to it.' Greenback prepares for thousands of visitors ahead of Rock the Country music festival Wilbanks said they hope a new facility will help them better serve the community. 'There's nothing like having a brand-new building to work out of, state of the art, it'll be great,' he said. 'And it's going to be right in the heart of Burlington, which is extremely important to that community to keep that fire station right there' Earlier this year, a number of firefighters filed a lawsuit against the City arguing the tiered step pay plan for civil servants negatively impacted them. The City of Knoxville recently made a motion to dismiss the case, and the firefighters have filed a motion to extend the time to respond to the City. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
City of Knoxville files motion to dismiss lawsuit over firefighter pay
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The City of Knoxville has filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a group of Knoxville firefighters. The lawsuit claims the new municipal pay scale negatively impacted long-serving department members and left them no recourse to address their grievances. The motion claims the lawsuit was filed after the statute of limitations had expired, the plaintiffs' claims were without 'any factual support,' and the plaintiffs failed to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. In response, the firefighters asked the court for 14 additional days to respond to the motion to dismiss. This would give them until May 19, 2025, to respond. Sevier County residents address developers at contentious meeting over 900-home subdivision proposal In 2022, the city proposed a tiered 'Step Pay Plan' for civil servants like police and firefighters. It consisted of 25 steps within each job classification corresponding to years of service, allowing uniformed employees to advance each year throughout their careers. An advisory committee of elected officials and representatives from the police and fire departments, one of whom is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, assisted in its creation before it was ultimately approved by the Knoxville City Council. The lawsuit claims the Pay Step Plan was not implemented as enacted and the system unfairly locks longer-tenured firefighters into lower classifications and lower wages. According to the complaint, the system largely affects older workers with the rank of Master Firefighter and above. Furthermore, it argues that there is no procedure to redress claims over compensation or misclassifications under the city's grievance process in violation of the constitutional right to due process. Kincannon proposes firefighter raises, housing investments in upcoming Knoxville city budget The plaintiffs request that the city reclassify all impacted firefighters retroactive to July 2022, and they be awarded back pay for all lost wages. They also seek additional damages in an amount to be determined by a jury trial and attorneys' fees. The new motion comes as one fifth of Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon's proposed budget was designated for police and firefighters. It includes a 4.2% step raise for police officers and firefighters, and $225,000 in targeted salary increases for firefighters. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Virtual reality giving Cocke County students hands-on career experience
COCKE COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) — Students at Cocke County High School got a hands-on look at potential career paths without ever leaving campus on Friday. Around 150 students explored high demand trade professions through a virtual reality mobile workshop with the Be Pro Be Proud Tennessee (BPBP) organization. They were able to try their hand at everything from welding and electrical linework to operating heavy equipment and more. The goal is to help students find a potential career path or even discover skills and talents they didn't know they have. Kincannon proposes firefighter raises, housing investments in upcoming Knoxville city budget 'The young ladies were over there welding while ago and they got some really good scores and they were like, 'wow I can actually weld'. If you're graduating senior and you want to go on to like a technical school, like your local TCAT, sign up for welding because obviously you're a decent welder,' explained Jason Lewis, the tour manager for Be Pro Be Proud Tennessee. Over the years, trade skills had faded from focus but now are in high demand and companies offer competitive pay. 'I know a lot of people generally think this is where you end up if you don't do anything, but in reality is it's an opportunity that's really overlooked and it's a great opportunity,' said Aiden Kendall, a senior at Cocke County High School. New resort coming to Sevierville sparks traffic concerns from neighboring residents Kendall played a key role helping the underclassmen operate a Virtual Reality bulldozer, a full motion simulator with controls identical to the real machine. 'Be willing to try everything even at least once you don't have to like it, you don't have to enjoy it, but be willing to try something to see if you maybe really enjoy it. Because you don't know when that next passion or hobby is going to hit until you try it,' added Kendall. Cocke County High School got the last-minute opportunity after a nearby site cancelled, and they didn't hesitate to give their students the experience. 'I think it's the passion. Is this something that they can kind of find a passion that they're really interested in doing? And is this something that they'd like to do for a career and possibly for quite a few years after they leave us?' said Crystal McGaha, Cocke County Schools CTE career counselor. Greenback prepares for thousands of visitors ahead of Rock the Country music festival Be Pro Be Proud Tennessee has traveled to various high schools all across the state, allowing students to continue to explore these career paths for free. The organization's partners Cat Financial, Lee Company, and others are willing to hire students as soon as they graduate high school. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon to give 2025 State of the City address
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon is expected to share her proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year during her sixth State of the City address Friday. The State of the City address is being held at Covenant Health Park beginning at 11:30 a.m. The address will be livestreamed in this story. Tennessee legislature approves $3.2M for civil rights monument in Oak Ridge During the State of the City address, Kincannon will be presenting her budget for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2025 to city and county leaders for the first time. This is a developing story. or for updates. The budget will also be presented to the City Council on Tuesday, April 29. Additionally, the proposed budget will be presented at a legislative budget hearing and a public hearing on May 13 before being presented to the Knoxville City Council for a second reading on May 27. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Knoxville may expand festival locations and get a better handle on traffic - here's how to have a say
Local leaders will make decisions related to summer fun this week, but let's start with some inside-baseball politics news. There's an effort from some Knoxville Democrats to encourage Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon to run for term-limited Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs' seat in 2026. Democratic donor Phil Lawson and Tennessee Democratic Party Executive Committee member Dana Moran are promoting a petition to draft Kincannon and plan to present it to her. Moran told me she hasn't spoken to Kincannon about the petition, and a spokesperson for Kincannon told me while the mayor is flattered, she isn't pursuing the office. The effort is interesting because it's such a public effort to encourage a candidate. "I think it has a lot to do with where we all are on every level (of government)," Moran told me. "We're trying to fight extremism and work in a bipartisan way and we're trying to lead by example from the ground up." In the meantime, two Republican candidates are running for county mayor: Larsen Jay and Betsy Henderson. Local government is where you can make a difference, and The Key is a weekly guide to having a say in decisions that shape your life. In February, Knox News reported that a new K-8 school serving 1,600 students will be built on the site where Rule High School once stood west of downtown Knoxville. The school is for students in the Beaumont, Lonsdale and Mechanicsville communities. Knox County Schools will close Beaumont Magnet Academy and Maynard Elementary School and turn those buildings over to Knox County in exchange for the vacant Rule High site. The Rule High School closed in 1991. Tonight, the county will approve the property agreement with KCS. We don't know what the county will do with the Beaumont and Maynard buildings. Important date: The commission will vote on the agreement at 5 p.m. March 31. Where to go: The commission meets in the main assembly room at the City-County Building, 400 Main St. What you can do: You can sign up to speak until 4 p.m. today on the commission's website, by emailing commission@ or calling the office at 865-215-2534. Study up: The county commission agenda includes information about the deal. Click the "agendas" link on the commission's webpage at Choose the "COMMISSION" option for March 31. You can download the material for this decision, which is number 7 in the agenda. If you love festivals, this one's for you! City laws outline specific areas where festival hosts are allowed to request special event beer permits. They're limited to Market Square, the Old City, the Cumberland Avenue Corridor District and a few others. The city council this week will consider a proposal to allow festivals anywhere in the city (pending approval, of course). Organizers must go through safety requirements and and a permitting process. Important date: The council will discuss and vote on the changes at 6 p.m. April 1. Where to go: The council meets in the main assembly room at the City-County Building, 400 Main St. What you can do: Contact your council member or sign up to speak at council meetings. Deadline: If you want to speak in front of the city council, make sure you sign up by 4 p.m. the day of the meeting by emailing wjohnson@ or by calling the office at 865-215-2075. Study up: The city council agenda includes information about the application. Click the "agendas" link on the city council's webpage at Choose the "HTML" option for April 1. You can download the material for this decision, which is 9A in the agenda. Opening Day for the Knoxville Smokies is April 15 in the Old City, and Kincannon will ask the council on Tuesday to approve a $75,000 contract with traffic control provider Superior Traffic Control. The contractor will provide flaggers, electronic signs and barricades for special events. "Effective traffic management is essential to ensure public safety, minimize disruptions for residents and businesses, and maintain efficient transportation flow throughout the City. Existing public resources are increasingly stretched during these high-impact events resulting in the need for additional specialized support, which this contract will provide," the resolution says. Important date: The council will discuss and vote on the changes at 6 p.m. April 1. Where to go: The council meets in the main assembly room at the City-County Building, 400 Main St. What you can do: Contact your council member or sign up to speak at council meetings. Deadline: If you want to speak in front of the city council, make sure you sign up by 4 p.m. the day of the meeting by emailing wjohnson@ or by calling the office at 865-215-2075. Study up: The city council agenda includes information about the application. Click the "agendas" link on the city council's webpage at Choose the "HTML" option for April 1. You can download the material for this decision, which is 11B in the agenda. Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg. This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville may expand festival locations and get a better handle on traffic
