To Mayor Indya Kincannon, the Knoxville City Council, CC: Mayor Glenn Jacobs, the Knox County Commission, City Recorder:
On behalf of the African-American people in Knoxville Tennessee, I am calling on the City Administration and the City Council to take immediate action to correct multiple legislative failures and a significant Constitutional Violation regarding the Jacob Building. This notice serves as a formal challenge to the City’s non-compliance with the Knoxville City Charter and its fiduciary duty to the public. On August 19, 2025, an 8-1 vote authorized a 20-year lease of a 57,000-square-foot public asset for $1.00 a year—a decision that bypasses the Charter’s intent for the equitable management of city property and ignores the standing legislative mandate of Resolution R-367-2020.
The Muse Knoxville has announced plans to begin construction/renovation in 2027, with a projected grand opening in Summer 2028. At the time of the August 2025 vote, the City was already 4 years and 8 months behind on the mandate established by Resolution R-367-2020, which requested the Administration to identify $100 Million in grant opportunities over a ten-year period to support strategic solutions for the African-American community. As of today, that timeline has reached 5 years and 3 months…