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1. Happy Holidays from the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment
2. City Announces Holiday Schedule
3. Fairmont Emoriland Hosted a Home Tour
4. New Traffic Safety Program Accepts Applications in January
5. Register Now for ONE’s Leadership Training Course
6. Housing and Neighborhood Development Holds Public Meeting
7. Voluntary Cleanups on the Rise — New Process for Neighborhoods
8. Planning Commission Posts Preliminary Agenda
9. Attend the Homeless Memorial Service on Thursday
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1. Happy Holidays from the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment
The Office of Neighborhood Empowerment extends our warmest wishes to Knoxville’s neighborhood organizations, community volunteers, and residents. Your dedication to building connections, advocating for your communities, and creating positive change throughout 2025 has been truly inspiring. May this season bring you rest, joy, and time to celebrate with those who matter most. Thank you for the incredible work you do, day in and day out.
Please note that there will be no newsletter published over the next two weeks due to the holidays. We will resume our normal schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
We look forward to building community with you and continuing to make Knoxville a wonderful place for all, in the upcoming year.
Happy holidays and we hope that everyone has a joyful new year!
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2. City Announces Holiday Schedule
City of Knoxville offices, including 311, and Office of Neighborhood Empowerment, will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 24, Thursday, Dec. 25, and on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
There will be NO household garbage or recycling collection on Thursday, Dec. 25 and Waste Connections’ office will be closed. Thursday collection routes will be picked up on Friday, and Friday routes will be collected on Saturday. Regular trash and recycling schedules will resume for Monday, Dec. 29.
Between Friday, Dec. 26-Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, properly bagged excess holiday household trash and broken-down cardboard that are placed next to your full garbage carts, will be picked up.
Downtown trash and recycling will not be picked up on Thursday, Dec. 25.
The City's four recycling centers will be open, but the Goodwill attendant will only be available for household goods donations for ½ day on Wednesday, Dec. 24. The center will be unstaffed, but open for recycling drop-off on Thursday, Dec. 25 and Thursday, Jan. 1. Please hold all donations until an attendant is present.
The City's Solid Waste Facility located at 1033 Elm St. will be closed on Wednesday, Dec. 24, and Thursday, Dec. 25, with normal hours resuming on Friday, Dec. 26. For the New Year’s Day holiday, the Facility will be closed on Thursday, Jan. 1, with normal hours resuming Friday, Jan. 2.
For tips on how to prevent waste by recycling or donating gently used items during this giving season, please visit www.knoxvilletn.gov/reuseguide. And yes, most wrapping paper IS recyclable in Knoxville.
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3. Fairmont Emoriland Hosted a Home Tour
The Fairmont Emoriland Neighborhood Association recently hosted their Traditional Christmas Home Tour.
Karl and Lauren McKim, Tom Whisman, and Bill and Melissa Charles opened up their lovely, decorated homes to the neighborhood. A jolly crowd of 30-40 individuals went to each of the three homes and ended the tour at the home of Gary Diggs and Chris Floer.
Residents enjoyed hot chocolate, cookies, cake, and of course, catching up with neighbors.
Is your neighborhood doing anything special for the holidays? The Office of Neighborhood Empowerment wants to hear about it! Share your stories with Hayley Howard at hho...@knoxvilletn.gov.
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4. New Traffic Calming Program Accepts Applications in January
The application window will be open throughout the month of January, and the application can be completed online. Please note that only local streets are eligible to apply for this program. If your street can be found in the Major Road Plan, that means it is NOT a local street and therefore it is ineligible for the NTSP.
Once the application window closes, Transportation Engineering will review all submissions and conduct thorough studies of the streets that have been submitted. This includes collecting data on street speeds, traffic volumes, proximity to schools, accidents, and other relevant factors. Following these studies, the streets will be ranked based on this data. Approved projects will be prioritized for construction in 2027.
The selection process will be data-driven, ensuring that the most pressing safety concerns are addressed first. To keep everyone informed, all updates regarding the status of applications and projects will be made available on the Transportation Engineering website.
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5. Register Now for ONE’s Leadership Training Course
Registration is now open for the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment’s Building Strong Neighborhood Organizations (BSNO) leadership training course. This FREE, eight-week training series meets on Monday evenings from Feb. 9 through April 6, with graduation to follow.
- Neighborhood Organization
- Reason for wanting to participate
This training program is designed for city residents who participate in or lead resident-led, resident-controlled, democratically run neighborhood groups. The training is also open to individuals who would like to start neighborhood organizations.
Participants receive resources including a three-ring binder full of how-to articles on building and sustaining community-based organizations. Space is limited, so register soon.
Please contact Hayley Howard at hho...@knoxvilletn.gov with any questions.
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6. Housing and Neighborhood Development Holds Public Meeting
The City’s Housing and Neighborhood Development Department invites neighbors to attend a public meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at 5 p.m. at the Public Works Building, 3131 Morris Ave.
The meeting will focus on development of the 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan, which guides funding decisions related to affordable housing, homelessness, and non-housing community development activities.
A virtual option will be available for those who cannot attend in person. Visit www.knoxvilletn.gov/development the day prior to the meeting to find the Microsoft Teams link.
The Annual Action Plan updates the Five-Year Consolidated Plan for the proposed use of U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Act, and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds for program year 2026-2027.
At this meeting, the Housing and Neighborhood Development Department will:
- Review priority goals and objectives from its 2025-2029 Five Year Consolidated Plan;
- Provide a description of unmet needs and gaps identified through consultation meetings with stakeholders, regarding: Non-housing Community Development needs; Homelessness needs; and Affordable Housing needs;
- Discuss anticipated HUD and local funding for the fiscal year 2026-2027 projects/programs starting July 1, 2026;
- Describe the process for developing the draft 2026-2027 Annual Action Plan, including proposed priority goals/objectives and how the public may provide input; and
- Inform agencies on how they may apply for grant funding to meet priority goals/objectives.
The City of Knoxville ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids and services.
Individuals with a disability who require an accommodation in order to participate may contact the City of Knoxville’s ADA Coordinator, Stephanie Brewer Cook at 865-215-2034 or SC...@knoxvilletn.gov no less than 72 hours prior to the meeting.
If you have Limited English Proficiency (LEP) and want to request language translation services, please contact the Human Resources Department at tit...@knoxvilletn.gov, or 865-215-3100 at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, your feedback is still appreciated. Please send your comments/questions to Linda Rust at lr...@knoxvilletn.gov or P.O. Box 1631, Knoxville, TN 37901.
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7. Voluntary Cleanups on the Rise — New Process for Neighborhoods
The City of Knoxville is thrilled to see a recent increase in community-led cleanups across our neighborhoods. We appreciate seeing neighbors collaborate, roll up their sleeves, and take such pride in keeping their streets and parks clean and welcoming. Your efforts make a real, visible impact, and we absolutely want to support you in keeping that momentum going.
To make sure groups get the right resources and the right support at the right time, the City has partnered with Keep Knoxville Beautiful (KKB) to serve as the primary point of contact for all community cleanups. KKB is a local nonprofit specializing in litter prevention, waste reduction, and community beautification, and they’re equipped to guide your event from start to finish.
Whether you’re planning a small neighborhood litter pickup or a larger beautification effort, KKB can help with:
- Supplies such as bags, gloves, litter pickers, and safety gear
- Tips and ideas to help make your cleanup successful
- Guidance on planning, volunteer coordination, and event logistics
KKB will also work directly with the City’s Public Service Department to identify staging areas for collecting debris and to coordinate with the City for proper waste disposal. This ensures cleanups stay organized, safe, and efficient — and that the crews arrive where and when they’re needed.
Is your neighborhood ready to plan a cleanup? Contact KKB. Once your event details are confirmed, KKB will notify Public Service so the crew can support the trash pickup at the conclusion of your event. Also, check out KKB’s Keep Your Street Neat campaign for more ways to get your neighborhood involved. Contact KKB at 865-521-6957 or email in...@keepknoxvillebeautiful.org.
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8. Planning Commission Posts Preliminary Agenda
The Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission will meet on the second Thursday of the month at 1:30 p.m. in the Main Assembly Room of the City County Building, 400 Main St.
A preliminary agenda is posted on the Knoxville-Knox County Planning website approximately three weeks before each meeting for the public to review. There, you can also submit comments about a case and request to speak during the meeting. Neighbors are encouraged to review the agenda to stay informed about new developments and changes coming to neighborhoods.
The next meeting will be on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at 1:30 p.m., in the City County Building, 400 Main Street, Large Assembly Room.
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9. Attend the Homeless Memorial Service on Thursday
The Knoxville Knox County Homeless Coalition has organized its annual Homeless Memorial Service will take place this Thursday, Dec. 18, from 6:15-7:30 p.m.
A candlelight walk will begin at 6:15 p.m. in the parking lot of Volunteer Ministry Center, 511 N. Broadway. The memorial service will follow at 6:30 p.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 544 N. Broadway. A reception will take place in the church fellowship hall immediately following the service.
To view the memorial service remotely, find “St. John’s Lutheran Church” on Facebook or “St. John’s Lutheran Knoxville, TN” on YouTube.
Let us remember those from our community who died experiencing homelessness this past year.
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10. Knoxville Neighborhoods Calendar (click link for online calendar)
To add your neighborhood event or meeting to the Google calendar, call 865-215-3232.
Other Calendars
Additional online calendars that cover events outside the neighborhood realm include:
The City of Knoxville requires a permit to operate a short-term rental property. Details and a list of short-term rental permits are located on the City’s website here.
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