Knoxville's latest city council meeting agenda reveals plans for potential investment in public safety and community spaces. Mayor Indya Kincannon has put forth a $461.6 million budget proposal for the fiscal year of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. Among the proposed allocations is a $7 million earmark for parks and recreation improvements, including a new canopy for the amphitheater. The proposal also calls for a significant $3.9 million pay increase for Knoxville Police Department officers, and a robust $8 million in funds earmarked to address the affordable housing crunch in the city, according to WBIR.
Not to be overshadowed in the grand scheme of the budget proposal, a new $3 million fire station has been included, set to replace Station Six and become Knoxville's first new firehouse in three decades, as per a WVLT report. Located a block away from the current Station Six, this modern facility is anticipated to improve energy use and increase space. Revealed during Mayor Kincannon's State of the City address, these investments beg a critical stare at the city's prioritization and deployment of resources at a juncture where community needs pull like the moon on the tides.
At the heart of the discussions, pay raises for first responders were a contentious topic. While the budget includes a raise for Knoxville Fire Department EMTs and paramedics, some argue that the proposed increase—$1,500 to $3,750 per year for Advanced EMTs and $2,750 to $8,000 per year for paramedics—is not sufficient.
Another point of contention emerged in the form of an agreement that the council will consider providing $230,900 for two years of software support from Rimini Street for the city's Oracle Software Products. This has drawn criticism all the way to the asphalt, prompting a planned demonstration from pro-Palestinian activists, according to WBIR. Activists are urging the city to divest from companies with ties to Israel, providing yet another complex layer to the fiscal policies under scrutiny.
