Mount Vernon council approves transfer of downtown parking lot to land bank after amendment to keep property ‘as is’

Mount Vernon City Council on April 28 voted to transfer fee-simple title of one or more downtown commercial parcels to the Knox County Land Reutilization Corporation (the land bank) for economic development, adopting Resolution 2025-42 as amended to state the transfer is "as is." The measure passed on a 5–1 vote.

The vote followed public comments from Kathy Tate, chair of the Knox County Democratic Party, who told council she and nearby businesses are struggling with limited parking and a deteriorating sidewalk on Vine Street near Gay Street. Tate said the area’s aging sidewalks force older residents and people using mobility devices to walk in the street and urged the city to study future parking and pedestrian needs.

City service director Tanner Salyers and staff described three broad options for the lot, which is currently managed as a reservation-only parking area: (1) retain city ownership and pay for a full upgrade (Salyers’…