Kincannon for Knoxville
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Kincannon's Accomplishments

Accomplishments as Mayor

When Indya asked the people of Knoxville what matters most to them, they answered: Public Safety, Housing, Climate Change, and Economic Opportunity. So those have been her priorities as Mayor and she has gotten a lot done!

First and foremost, people want and deserve to feel safe, so public safety is job #1. Under Indya’s leadership the City has invested more in KPD and KFD than any previous administration. That’s everything from making salaries competitive, to adopting body cameras, to purchasing modern life-saving equipment like the Tiller Fire Truck.

If you have looked for a place to rent or buy in recent years, you know we have a severe housing shortage. Indya was proud to partner with Justice Knox and other groups to create the Affordable Housing Fund and dedicate $50m towards the construction of more housing across Knoxville.

Recent experience reminds us that floods and extreme heat are key vulnerabilities for our community. As Mayor, Indya has made significant strides towards reducing our carbon footprint so Knoxville is more resilient.

As Knoxville grows how can we make sure a rising tide truly lifts all boats? As Mayor Indya has worked with business and entrepreneurial leaders to support Diverse Business Enterprises, and to consolidate Knoxville’s role as a Clean Tech Innovation Hub.

Read more about Indya’s first term accomplishments below.

Public
Safety

Public safety is job one! Here are a few ways Indya has made Knoxville safer:

  • Body cameras for all KPD officers.
  • Passed salary increases to pay first responders fairly.
  • Hired Paul Noel as our new KPD Chief.
  • Invested $7.5M in Core Public Safety and Mental Health partnerships, including Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center (BHUCC), Metro Drug Coalition, McNabb Center, and Family Justice Center.
  • Updated equipment for KFD and KPD to include a new Public Safety HQ and new Quint and Tiller Fire Trucks.
  • Hired Lakenya Middlebrook to lead the new Office of Community Safety.
  • Supported Turn Up Knox, our street violence interruption team.
  • Launched co-response teams, where mental health professionals respond to calls alongside police officers.
  • Forged an agreement with the McNabb Center, local hospitals, County and State officials to open a mental health urgent care center in North Knoxville.
  • Kept us safe during the pandemic with a robust COVID information campaign, along with free testing and vaccine clinics.

Housing and Neighborhoods

Here are a few ways Indya has made our neighborhoods healthier, more affordable, and better connected:

  • Launched the Affordable Housing Fund (10-year, $50M commitment).
  • Invested more than $18.5M in housing programs in last two years.
  • Supported development of over 1500 affordable housing units since 2020.
  • Appointed Amy Brooks as the City’s first Chief Housing Officer.
  • Won a $40M Choice Neighborhoods Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to transform Western Heights.
  • Supporting the work of the African American Equity Restoration Task Force.
  • Allocated most funds ever to traffic calming.
  • Comprehensively addressed homelessness:
    • Helped house over 1600 people.
    • Helped distribute $38.5M Federal COVID relief dollars that prevented over 12,600 families from being evicted.
    • Added 6 street outreach workers.
    • Financed construction of more Permanent Supportive Housing.
    • Helped pay for showers and laundry facilities at the day space.
    • Enhanced coordination to address homelessness as a community.
  • Expanded and enhanced Parks & green spaces across the city, including Lakeshore, Urban Wilderness, Morningside, Claude Walker, Christenberry Ball Fields, Skyline, Inskip, Fountain City, Harriet Tubman, Fort Dickerson/Augusta Quarry, and more.

Climate Change

Here are some of the actions Indya has taken to make Knoxville greener:

  • Convened the Mayor’s Climate Council, which helped set goals and priorities for making Knoxville greener.
  • Helped establish a community solar project, visible on I-40, for people who want to buy solar power, but cannot install solar panels on their own homes or businesses.
  • Added solar panel arrays on city facilities, generating 200 kilowatts of energy.
  • Made KAT Buses free for all kids through high school.
  • Added 18 all-electric buses to the KAT bus fleet—67% of the fleet is now either electric or hybrid.
  • Adopted a Green Fleet policy.
  • Expanded public EV charging stations.
  • Set Knoxville on a course to meet or exceed our goal of reducing municipal emissions by 50% by 2030.
  • Established a tree bank and adopted a strategic plan to expand Knoxville’s tree canopy.
  • Promoted walkable development on land that already has infrastructure.

Economic Opportunity

From day one, Indya has worked tirelessly to make Knoxville’s economy work for everyone. Here are some of the results:
  • 2000 new jobs added since 2020.
  • Record investments were made in our city: $650M in development valuations just in 2022; record number of building permits were submitted.
  • Brought Municipal Broadband to Knoxville! The first homes are being connected now.
  • Provided the requisite and critical city support to bring baseball back to Knoxville! In partnership with Knox County and Smokies team ownership, we are building a brand-new multi-use stadium just east of downtown, revitalizing the underserved community of East Knoxville. The development will support thousands of jobs and catalyze private investment of more than $100M.
  • Supported entrepreneurs, makers and small businesses through 100 Knoxville, Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, Innov865, SPARK Clean Teach Accelerator, and more.
  • Proposed and successfully adopted a budget that ensures competitive market pay for all city employees, including a starting minimum wage of $15, plus benefits.
  • Convened the Developers’ Roundtable and adopted guidelines to make our development services efficient, transparent, predictable, and fair.