Knoxville City Council tonight (April 1, 2025) thanked the Downtown Knoxville Alliance for a $75,000 donation that advances a long-range plan to add quiet, clean and self-contained trash compactors throughout downtown.

Council also authorized Mayor Indya Kincannon’s administration to execute documents to receive $844,386 in federal and state reimbursement for City expenses in managing August 2023 severe storms.

And more special events and festivals are now eligible to seek beer permits.

Here are highlights from a busy April 1 Council agenda:


Downtown trash compactors

Currently, City crews collect garbage eight or nine times a week from more than 700 carts at 85 locations downtown. 

There’s limited capacity to add more pickups to accommodate future growth –and, despite the frequent pickups, the carts can be smelly, messy and sprawling.

The City is moving toward fewer carts and a network of compactors. The first one, to be installed in a few months, will replace a cart corral in the Jackson Avenue / Central Street area.

"Because these compactors are truly self-contained, they will be less smelly, create no noise or litter, and take up much less sidewalk space," said Chad Weth, Deputy Chief Operating Officer. "They will support opportunities for smart growth downtown.

"And since we’ll be having to empty the compactors just once or twice a week, we’ll eventually be saving City labor valued at $170,000 a year. That’s staff time and resources that can be converted to better serving downtown residents and businesses. 

"We appreciate the Downtown Knoxville Alliance’s support as we move to make trash collection both more efficient and more aesthetically pleasing."


Storm damage reimbursement

A violent Aug. 7, 2023, storm raked much of East Tennessee, including a confirmed tornado in West Knox County with peak winds of 130 mph. 

In Knoxville, the storm damaged 33 City streetlight poles, and City crews collected and disposed of 5,344 tons of storm debris.

A total of $844,386 in Federal Emergency Management Agency and state funds have been approved as reimbursement by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, with a $120,627 City match.


Special event beer sales

Council approved a request by Beer Board Chair Lauren Rider to allow for consideration of beer sales at festivals and events citywide. Previously, beer sales were limited to a small number of neighborhoods, such as downtown. 

The change gives more neighborhoods and festival organizers that had been geographically ineligible – Holleroo in Happy Holler was cited as one example – the opportunity to seek approval for special event beer permits.