Knoxville City Council addresses police department needs and a vacant lot

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One of two police officer vacancies got filled at last night’s Knoxville City Council meeting. The council approved the hiring of full-time officer Kenneth McMillion. An issue of police academy training has been brought up several times recently with the turn-over the Knoxville Police Department has experienced. The council approved a new two-year contract for new police hires: if a new officer needs to attend the police academy upon being hired and then left the department voluntarily within two years, the officer would be required to reimburse the city. The cost of police training is $6,020, and the two-week salary of a new officer would be $8,680. The council also approved the purchase of 13 police vests. Alderman Myers and Police Chief Ron Poyner told the council they did their due diligence to try to find the best deal and adhere to state law. Myers said the new vests will last five years, and that Chief Poyner, after doing some homework found vests from $1,500 to $800 a piece. The two were able to cut a deal on the vests at $399 each – totaling $5,187.

The Knoxville City Council made a decision on a vacant city-owned property where a dilapidated house once sat. After listing the property at 207 East North Street for sale for $10,000, the city has not received any bids so the option of re-listing or donating the property had come up in recent weeks. Mayor Dennis Mauer informed the council that after speaking with Jordan Knight – Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Knox County, the non-profit is interested in the lot.

“Actually, when I started with Habitat in 2012, they were in the midst of constructing the 44th (house) and that was in Knoxville,” Knight told WGIL. “So it’s been a few years. We’ve been in communication about that (property in Knoxville). So it’s something that we can make work. The hope would be that we could find a Knoxville family that’s in need. It looks like it’s got some promise to it, and I’m excited by that.”  The mayor asked aldermen how to proceed – if they wanted to donate the lot, or sell the lot to Habitat. City Attorney Rob McCoy informed the council that selling the property would cost more money with insurance and appraisals – and donating the property would save on taxes. McCoy said he could draft an ordinance stating that the city is not in need of the property so it could be donated. Since Habitat for Humanity of Knox County already has projects lined up for the remainder of 2018, the City of Knoxville will hold on to the property until 2019 and then donate it.

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