Knoxville's local government entities can be grouped into three categories: City of Knoxville, Knox County, and Knox County Board of Education. Below you'll find a primer on each group, current elected officials, and public meeting information.

If you'd like to experience Knoxville's government first hand, we invite you to join our League of Women Voters Knoxville-Knox County Observer Corps. You can find more information about the program here.

City of Knoxville Government

The City of Knoxville is a home rule city, which means it operates under a charter adopted by voters in 1954. Any changes to the charter require a vote in order to be instated. (The City’s charter can be found here.)

Knoxville’s government is nonpartisan and has a “strong mayor” form of government, where the mayor is an elected official and runs day-to-day city government operations, such as police and fire departments, road maintenance, garbage/recycling, and parks. Knoxville has a City Council made of six district representatives and three at-large citywide representatives who have advise-and-consent roles. The Mayor and Council members are elected to four-year terms and can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms in the same office.

City of Knoxville Elected Officials

  • Mayor - Indya Kincannon
  • 1st District - Karyn Adams
  • 2nd District - Nathan Honeycutt
  • 3rd District - Doug Lloyd
  • 4th District - Matthew DeBardelaben
  • 5th District - Charles Thomas
  • 6th District - Denzel Grant
  • At Large Seat A - Lynne Fugate, Vice Mayor
  • At Large Seat B - Debbie Helsley
  • At Large Seat C - Amelia Parker

City Council Public Meetings

  • City Council meets every other week at 6pm in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building (schedule). 
  • Meetings can also be watched live on Knoxville Community Media (TV Channel 12 or online). 
  • Meeting agendas are available online the Friday before the next meeting.
  • Attendees can sign up to give public comments on agenda items or during Public Forum by 4pm on the day of the meeting by contacting the City Recorder's Office at [email protected] or 865-215-2075.

Knox County Government

Knox County is also a home rule government, operating under a charter adopted by voters in 1988. Any changes to the charter require a vote in order to be instated. (The County’s charter can be found here.)

Knox County has an array of separately-elected officeholders: County Mayor, Clerk, Trustee, Register of Deeds, Property Assessor and Law Director. Knox County also has a County Commission made of nine district representatives and two at-large countywide representatives. The Commission covers the entire county, but has limited authority in Knoxville city limits, along with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.

Knox County Elected Officials

  • County Mayor - Glenn Jacobs
  • Property Assessor - Phil Ballard
  • County Clerk - Sherry Witt
  • Register of Deeds - Nick McBride
  • Trustee - Justin Biggs
  • Sheriff - Tom Spangler
  • Attorney General - Charme Allen
  • Law Director - David L. Buuck
  • Clerk of Circuit Courts - Charlie Susano
  • Clerk of Criminal Courts - Mike Hammond
  • Public Defender - Eric Lutton

Knox County Elected County Commissioners

  • 1st District - Damon Rawls
  • 2nd District - Courtney Durrett
  • 3rd District - Gina Oster, Chair
  • 4th District - Shane Jackson
  • 5th District - Angela Russell
  • 6th District - Terry Hill
  • 7th District - Rhonda Lee
  • 8th District - Adam Thompson
  • 9th District - Andy Fox
  • At Large Seat 10 - Larsen Jay
  • At Large Seat 11 - Kim Frazier, Vice-Chair

Knox County Public Meetings

  • City Council meets on the 4th Monday of each month at 5pm in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building (schedule). 
  • Meetings can also be watched live on Knoxville Community Media (TV Channel 12 or online). 
  • Meeting agendas are available online prior to the next meeting.
  • Attendees can sign up to speak during Public Forum by 4pm on the day before the meeting by contacting the Commission office at 865-215-2534 or filling out the online form.

Knox County Board of Education

In 1986, city voters elected to shut down the Knoxville school system. As city schools were closed, new school zones and the County Board of Education were created. Because school zones mirror the County Commission districts, the school board has a member from each of the nine county districts. The board also hires a superintendent who has authority over day to day school operations.

The Board of Education is nonpartisan and has no at-large members. They also set policy and adopt a budget, but funding is determined by the County Commission. Members are elected to four-year terms, but because the board is created by state law they’re not subject to the term limits.

Knox County Board of Education

  • 1st District - Rev. Dr. John Butler
  • 2nd District - Anne Templeton
  • 3rd District - Patricia Fontenot-Ridley
  • 4th District - Katherine Bike
  • 5th District - Lauren Morgan
  • 6th District - Betsy Henderson
  • 7th District - Steve Triplett
  • 8th District - Travis Wright
  • 9th District - Kristi Kristy
  • Student Representative - Albert Liu
  • Superintendent - Dr. Jon Rysewyk

Knox County Board of Education Public Meetings

  • BOE meets on the 1st Thursday of each month at 5pm in the KCS Boardroom in the Summer Place Building (schedule). 
  • Meetings are live-streamed, recorded, and posted to the KCSTV Youtube channel.
  • Meeting agendas are available online prior to the next meeting.
  • Attendees can sign up to speak during Public Forum by 4pm on the day before the meeting by contacting the Board Executive Assistant at 865-594-1623.

Information sourced from City of Knoxville, Knox County, Board of Education, and Compass Knox.