Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Knox County advances resolution and first reading of ordinance targeting redundant and dangerous utility poles
Summary
Commissioners voted to move forward with a nonbinding resolution urging utilities to coordinate quarterly removal of duplicate and abandoned poles and advanced an ordinance on first reading to require removal of immediate safety hazards in county rights-of-way. Utility companies supported the resolution but urged caution about ordinance penalties and proprietary data requirements.
The Knox County Commission on March 18 moved forward with a resolution and a first reading of an ordinance aimed at removing redundant, inactive, or damaged utility poles from county road rights‑of‑way.
Commissioner Jay, who led the initiative, framed the measures as public‑safety actions prompted by constituent concerns dating to 2020. He said the plan splits the effort into two tracks: a resolution encouraging quarterly coordination among pole owners and attachers, and a narrower ordinance to require removal or remediation of poles deemed to present imminent safety hazards.
"Once you start seeing these double poles, you can't unsee them," Commissioner Jay said, showing photographs of leaning, shredded or abandoned poles in multiple districts and urging a…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
