Explore Knox County's Budget Trends Over the Last Decade

Why Such an Increase?

To put it simply — to match the spending authorized by the Knox County Council.

Over the past decade, major decisions about how and where to spend public money have largely been driven by the Knox County Commissioners, with planning and designs often developed by the architectural and engineering firm RQAW. But here’s the kicker: the Knox County Council has signed off on just about every one of those plans without much public pushback or debate.

I once heard someone say, “Everyone gets along, and they like it that way.” That might sound nice on the surface — but when everyone agrees on everything, who’s keeping an eye on the bottom line and looking out for the people who pay the increases?

The result? A staggering increase in the county’s assessed property value — $904,302,639. That figure breaks down to nearly $90.4 million per year over the last 10 years, needed just to keep up with the level of spending that’s been approved.

If this pattern continues, we’re likely to see our property taxes keep rising at the same pace — year after year. Can you afford that?

🏗️ What’s Next? Another New Building.

The latest project on the table is a new Emergency Management building, which will house the county’s 911 system. The bids for construction are scheduled to be opened tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. at the Knox County Jail.

Here’s something to think about: just putting this project out for bid cost the County $250,000 — before a single brick has been laid. That’s money already spent, and we haven’t even seen the final price tag yet.