May Update from Knox County Commissioner Bob Thomas

Here is your May Update for Knox County!

***Mother's Day is this Sunday, May 14th! 


***Our campaign for Knox County Mayor has been busy! We are having fundraisers and community meetings in people's homes across Knox County. Be sure to take a look at our website: BobThomas.com.

***The May Ed and Bob NIGHT OUT in Knox County will be Wednesday, the 17th 5-7p at the Life House Coffee Shop in Powell on Brick Yard Road. Bring your sweet tooth!

***The Knoxville Chamber Pinnacle Awards will be Friday, May 12th, 6pm at the Knoxville Convention Center.

***Enjoyed speaking and answering questions for the West Knox Republican Club. We covered a lot of ground about government in Knox County.

***What a honor it was to speak at the Halls High School Academic Banquet. This event honored the juniors and seniors with a 3.5 or higher GPA and inducted new members into the National Honor Society.

  Commissioner Thomas delivering the keynote speech

 Commissioner Thomas along with his mother, Nelle Thomas and Commissioner Charlie Busler

 Commissioner Thomas with Knox County School Board Chair Patti Bounds

***Enjoyed being the guest speaker at the Bearden High School Future Leaders of America. This group encourages young students to plan to be leaders of the future. They will make you proud to live in Knox County!

***Early morning pancakes as I was the speaker at the Kiwanis Club of Knoxville's Annual Pancake Breakfast. Yes, I ate too many!

***The April Ed and Bob NIGHT OUT in Knox County was at Chandler's Deli in East Knoxville. We spoke to many people and enjoyed some great ribs! Charles Chandler is a great success story!

***The Annual Five Points Up East Knoxville Clean-Up took place last month. My wife, Kim and I cleaned up the streets of Burlington where my Dad had a business when I was young.

***The Knox County School Bus Driver Awards in April had a great turnout as we honored five drivers that care for our children everyday. See more details at: http://bobthomas.com/2017/04/27/april-knox-county-schools-bus-driver-awards/

***The Knoxville Opera's 16th annual Rossini International Street Fair was wet then dry then soaking wet! I hope you got to enjoy the dry hours!

 My POV from behind the Mayors on the stage.

***The reception for the new Knox County Superintendent Bob Thomas (the other Bob Thomas) was a wonderful event. I am very excited for the future of our schools.

***The Emerald Youth Prayer Breakfast was the most attended one they have ever had. It was a very inspirational morning!

In Commission news...

On Monday, May 15th at 3:00pm, the Knox County Commission will hold a public hearing about the proposed Knox County Budget. At 5:00pm the regular monthly workshop will be held to followed at 6:00pm with another public session concerning the budget. All meetings will take place in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.

On Monday, May 22nd at 1:30pm, the Knox County Pension and Retirement Board will meet on the 6th floor of the City County Building in the Commission Conference Room. I am on that board and will be present. The Beer Board will meet at 4:00pm. The regular Commission meeting will begin at 5pm followed by Zoning at 7pm. Beer Board, Commission and Zoning will all take place in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building.

The Commission agenda has approximately 60 items. This month the bulk of the items are from the School Board and Engineering. There are 30 items from the School Board and 7 from Engineering. School resolutions are merely a formality as they pass whether we vote for them or not. In zoning, there are 10 issues this month. Some resolutions that stand out are:

1. The proposed Knox County Budget

2. Resolution setting a new tax rate.
3. Over $28M in funds for schools from the State of TN Department of Education.

4. Resolution adopting a new 5 year Capital Improvement Plan

5. Discussion regarding Tourism and Sports

Should you or any Knox County resident need assistance from Knox County government, please contact me at:

Bob.Thomas@KnoxCounty.org or 865-309-4364

Seat 10 At-Large Commissioner of Knox County Commission

Chairman, Knox County Cable TV Committee

Chairman, Knox County Disability Committee
Knox County Development Corp Board
Knox County Pension & Retirement Committee
Knox County Parks & Recreation Board
Metro Drug Coalition Board
Dogwood Arts Festival Board
Young-Williams Animal Center Board
American Cancer Society Board
Arts & Culture Alliance Board
Community Television Board
Thompson-Boling Arena Use Committee