Knoxville has two mayors because the City of Knoxville and Knox County are two separate governments covering the same ground, and each one elects its own chief executive. The city mayor runs the municipal government inside Knoxville’s corporate limits. The county mayor leads a broader government that covers all of Knox County, city residents included. If you live inside the city, both mayors represent you, and you pay taxes to both governments.
Two Governments Stacked on the Same Map
The City of Knoxville is an incorporated municipality sitting inside the larger boundaries of Knox County. Tennessee’s constitution establishes counties as the basic administrative divisions of state government, each with its own legislative body and executive.1FindLaw. Tennessee Constitution Art. VII, Section 1 Cities like Knoxville then add a municipal layer on top to handle more localized urban services. The result is two fully independent governments occupying overlapping territory, each with its own mayor, budget, and workforce.
This is the default across Tennessee and most of the country, not a Knoxville quirk. The one way to collapse two mayors into one is a consolidated government, where a city and county formally merge. Nashville and Davidson County did that in 1963. Knoxville and Knox County never have, so both offices continue to operate side by side.
What the City Mayor Runs
The Mayor of the City of Knoxville is the chief executive of the municipal government. Under the city’s charter, the mayor proposes and manages the city budget, enforces city ordinances, and appoints or removes department directors.2Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS). General Law Mayor-Aldermanic Charter In practical terms, that covers the Knoxville Police Department, fire protection, parks and recreation, public transit, codes enforcement, and city streets.
The city mayor works alongside the Knoxville City Council, which is the municipality’s legislative body. The mayor can recommend measures to the council but does not vote on ordinances. Only residents inside Knoxville’s corporate limits, along with qualified property owners, vote in city elections.
What the County Mayor Runs
The Knox County Mayor is the chief executive of the county government, a position created by Tennessee state law. Under Tennessee Code 5-6-101, every county in the state that has not consolidated with its city elects a county mayor to a four-year term.3Justia. Tennessee Code 5-6-101 – County Mayor – Term – Title The county mayor’s jurisdiction covers all of Knox County, which includes the City of Knoxville and the Town of Farragut.
State law makes the county mayor the accounting officer and general agent of the county. The office has custody of county property, audits claims against the county, draws warrants on the county treasury, and settles accounts with the county trustee and other revenue collectors.4FindLaw. Tennessee Code Title 5 Counties 5-6-108 The county mayor also presents an annual budget to the Knox County Commission, which serves as the county’s legislative body.
County government handles services that reach a wider population: Knox County Schools (which serves students inside and outside city limits), the health department, the public library system, property records, and county roads. City residents send their children to Knox County Schools, and the city mayor has no direct authority over the school system.
What It Means If You Live Inside the City
Everyone in Knox County votes for the county mayor, city residents included. Only city residents vote for the city mayor. If you live in an unincorporated part of the county, the county mayor is your only executive, and you deal with the county for things like road maintenance and law enforcement.
Property taxes are where the two-layer system shows up most directly. Residents inside Knoxville city limits pay both a city property tax and a county property tax. The city rate is $2.1556 per $100 of assessed value, and the county rate is $1.5540 per $100 of assessed value.5City of Knoxville, Tennessee. Property Taxes Those are separate bills sent by separate offices: the city’s Revenue Office and the Knox County Trustee. Sending a payment to the wrong office is a common mistake the city warns about. Residents outside Knoxville city limits pay only the county rate.
Law enforcement is another clean dividing line. The Knoxville Police Department handles crimes within city limits. The Knox County Sheriff’s Office covers the rest of the county.6Knox County District Attorney’s Office. How to Report and Prevent Crime Both agencies share 911 dispatch, but non-emergency reports go to different numbers: KPD at 865-215-7000 for incidents inside Knoxville, or KCSO at 865-215-2243 for incidents in the county. The city mayor oversees KPD’s leadership and budget. The sheriff is a separately elected county official who does not report to the county mayor, so while the county mayor manages the overall county budget that funds the sheriff’s office, the sheriff holds independent constitutional authority over law enforcement operations.
Some functions are deliberately shared. The Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission, established jointly in 1956, handles comprehensive countywide planning and administers zoning and land subdivision regulations for both the city and county, except for the Town of Farragut, which has its own planning.7City of Knoxville, Tennessee. Knoxville-Knox County Planning (Formerly MPC) Building, subdividing land, or requesting a zoning change anywhere in Knox County generally goes through this joint commission.
Why the Two Governments Never Merged
It is not for lack of trying. Knoxville and Knox County voters have gone to the polls three times on the question of merging into a single consolidated government, and all three attempts failed. The 1959 referendum drew just 16.7 percent support. Voters still rejected consolidation in 1978, with 48 percent in favor, and again in 1983, with 47.6 percent in favor.8Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS). The Consolidation of City and County Governments – A Look at the History and Outcome-Based Research of These Efforts The later votes were close, but consolidation requires a majority, and county residents outside the city have been the strongest source of opposition.
Tennessee has seen only three successful city-county mergers between 1958 and 2019, the most prominent being Nashville and Davidson County in 1963.8Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS). The Consolidation of City and County Governments – A Look at the History and Outcome-Based Research of These Efforts Replicating that result has proven politically difficult. For Knoxville, the practical compromise has been shared bodies like the planning commission rather than full consolidation. Until that changes, the two-mayor system stays.