Knox County rejects first-reading ordinance to require removal of dangerous utility poles after extended debate

Knox County commissioners on March 25 declined to advance a first-reading ordinance that would have allowed the county to require removal or remediation of damaged, inactive or dangerous utility poles in county rights-of-way, following an extended debate over who should determine a pole’s safety and how enforcement would work.

The measure, Ordinance O-24-3-101, was introduced by Commissioner Jay and would have added section 66-2 to the Knox County Code to allow engineering and public-works staff to notify pole owners of imminent safety hazards and require remediation within a seven-day period, with limited extension options and potential administrative consequences if owners ignored orders. Commissioner Jay said the proposal was narrowly focused on public safety: “If we think something is gonna hurt someone, we want you to take care of it now and not just wait,” he told colleagues during his presentation.

Support for addressing the broader problem of duplicate poles also moved forward: earlier in the meeting the commission approved Resolution R-24-3-405, a nonbinding measure urging utility pole owners…