KNOX
COUNTY - ONE QUESTION
THE
QUESTION:
What changes, if any, do the
citizens want to make
to the form or structure of Government in Knox County?
THE BACKGROUND
In the year 2000, in a process known as Nine
Counties. One Vision., the citizens of this
region set a record for public participation in creating
a common agenda for the future of the greater Knoxville
area. On the issue of local government, the people
envisioned “a region of citizen-driven and responsible
local governments which provide a wide range of
coordinated and efficient services.” Although Nine
Counties. One Vision. as an organization
sunsetted as promised in 2005, the citizens’ vision
remains as applicable today as when it was first stated.
On January 12, 2007, the Supreme Court of the State of
Tennessee in the case of Diane Jordan vs. Knox
County, Tennessee handed down an opinion that
provides a remarkable opportunity for shaping the future
of the largest local government in the region - the
government of Knox County. The court held that as a
charter form of government, voted in by the voters of
Knox County, that the “county [could] go so far as to
replace its existing [form of] government in favor of an
alternate [form of] government, provided the people
approve.”
THE PROCESS
A process called “Knox County – One Question”
is being organized to attempt to answer that key
question.
1. Steering Committee
– A steering committee has been formed that represents
all areas of Knox County. The participants are informal
servant leaders that care deeply about the future of the
community, but that do not have conflicts of interest
such as an elected position or local government
employment.
2. Idea Gathering –
Public facilitated meetings will be held in May in five
convenient locations throughout the county to get the
citizens’ ideas on the answer to the question posed.
Click
here to read 'The Answers' suggested by the public.
3. Best Practices Research –
Research will be obtained from the Howard
H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University
of Tennessee on the best practices in local government
function and structure in the United States for a
community our size.
4. Report to the
Community – Results from the idea gathering and
the research will be presented to the community for
further reaction in August 2007. The Steering Committee
will develop conclusions from the process and recommend
next steps to the public consistent with those
conclusions.
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