Knox County advances resolution and first reading of ordinance targeting redundant and dangerous utility poles

The Knox County Commission on March 18 moved forward with a resolution and a first reading of an ordinance aimed at removing redundant, inactive, or damaged utility poles from county road rights‑of‑way.

Commissioner Jay, who led the initiative, framed the measures as public‑safety actions prompted by constituent concerns dating to 2020. He said the plan splits the effort into two tracks: a resolution encouraging quarterly coordination among pole owners and attachers, and a narrower ordinance to require removal or remediation of poles deemed to present imminent safety hazards.

"Once you start seeing these double poles, you can't unsee them," Commissioner Jay said, showing photographs of leaning, shredded or abandoned poles in multiple districts and urging a one‑year effort to coordinate removals.

Representatives of major pole owners and attachers — including AT&T (Alan Hill) and Knoxville Utilities Board (Erin Gill) — praised the resolution's collaborative approach but urged caution about the ordinance's proposed enforcement mechanisms. Alan Hill, AT&T regional director for external and legislative affairs, said the industry participates in the National Joint Utility Notification System (often called "ENGINs" in testimony), which sequences required transfers and work among multiple attachers, and warned that provisions seeking disclosure of private joint‑use agreements or permit revocation could impinge on proprietary arrangements and state/federal jurisdiction.

KUB's Erin Gill confirmed the utilities' awareness of a backlog in pole removals, described a 40 percent reduction in KUB's specific backlog since 2021 and said KUB had removed more than 2,000 poles in recent years. She said the system tracks work orders and that ticketing and field reporting sometimes explain delays.

Director Jim Snowden (Engineering/Public Works) described the county's interest as limited to right‑of‑way safety: the ordinance's immediate‑safety provisions would give owners seven days to remediate an imminent hazard (for example by setting a new pole and moving critical facilities), while the resolution would create a forum for quarterly coordination and progress reporting.

Attorneys and company representatives raised operational concerns about penalties in the proposed ordinance. Some attachers asked that the county avoid requiring disclosure of private contractual terms between utilities and their attachers; others suggested monetary fines as a clearer enforcement lever if a penalty is needed.

Commissioner Durrett recused himself for the items because of current employment with a pole attacher; the commission approved moving the resolution forward without recommendation and advanced the ordinance O-24-3-101 on first reading.

The county staff and stakeholders agreed to begin quarterly coordination meetings to establish baseline data (number and location of redundant/ready‑to‑pull poles) and to prioritize immediate hazards. County engineering staff said they are working to secure access to the joint‑ticketing system used by utilities to better track progress.