KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Less than a year after a committee was formed to advise the Knox County Mayor and Knox County Commission about public health issues, commissioners are considering a resolution that would end it.
They were scheduled for a work session on Monday, which included discussing a resolution that would end the Knox County Committee on Health and Economic Well-Being. In the resolution, local lawmakers said that the committee is no longer needed "due to a change in circumstances."
The group has met only a few times; this month's meeting was canceled.
The committee was also responsible for advising officials about the mental and economic health of Knox County citizens. Members with a variety of backgrounds including business leaders and medical professionals were encouraged to join when the commission was first formed in October 2020.
Officials said 15 business leaders originally applied to be part of the panel, but only two had submitted everything the mayor sought. They also said 20 medical professionals applied and six qualified, while seven psychologists and social workers applied and six qualified.
Economists, epidemiologists and experts with other kinds of backgrounds were expected to be a part of the committee. It was made up of 11 members selected by Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs and approved by the commission.