Knox County wants to work with utility companies, not assess fines, on old pole removal
Knox County won't see a change in how ugly and potentially dangerous utility poles are removed, despite the efforts of one commissioner.
Proposed changes to county code would have required companies such as Knoxville Utilities Board, Lenoir City Utilities Board and AT&T to remove poles deemed dangerous shortly after they got a notification from the county.
The ordinance, sponsored by Commissioner At-Large Larsen Jay, failed because commissioners thought it was unnecessary and could sour relationships with utility companies.
Commissioners did, however, support a resolution reinforcing the county's relationship with utility companies on the issue.
It's common for poles to get weathered and for new ones to be installed, but the problem is the old ones often simply get left behind. That creates eyesores and dangerous and double poles.
Utility companies say they already have a protocol for removing dangerous poles, and Jay's ordinance was an overreach.
Commission Chair Terry Hill, who represents the Hardin Valley and Karns communities, said she was comfortable with companies' existing responses in her area.
That's why she was one of five commissioners to vote against the ordinance.
County wants to work in tandem with pole companies
While commissioners declined to change the county code, they unanimously passed Jay's resolution stating their desire to work with utility companies to increase efficiencies when old poles are left behind.
"It's an opportunity for us to identify the problem and to agree on what the long-term solution might be," Jay said.
Knox County Engineering and Public Works staffers will meet with pole owners quarterly starting in July to determine which ones need to be removed and to monitor progress on taking out decommissioned poles. In July 2025, the commission will determine whether the plan is working or to impose stricter regulations.
KUB was supportive of this measure because they agree with the need for communication, but not under the threat of penalties.
"We're committed to participating and think they'll be really important to keeping all partners accountable," KUB representative Erin Gill said.
Companies say ordinance was unnecessary
Representatives from LCUB, which serves West Knox County and Anderson, Loudon and Roane counties, said in a Jan. 19 memo to Knox County Commissioners they remove dangerous poles within five days of a complaint and have full-time crews dedicated to replacing poles. When asked how that can be verified, Littleton told Knox News in a text they have a pole changeout program where 10% of poles are tested per year.
"Once a bad pole is identified, we place it on a schedule for removal," he said. "In most cases, it may take some time to remove and replace due to engineering and electrical loading a certain times of the year."
Utility companies aren't the only ones who use the poles. Telecommunication companies such as AT&T and Comcast attach wires to those poles as well. Alan Hill, the regional director of external affairs for AT&T-Tennessee, echoed LCUB's sentiments at a March 18 commission meeting.
KUB, for its part, told Knox News in an email it can't respond to double pole removal requests until telecommunication companies with wires attached to its poles find a new solution. After that, KUB typically responds to notices within 30 days.
Littleton told Knox News the company has operated under agreements with telecommunications companies for years. Changing the method of pole removal would disrupt those agreements and open a "Pandora's box" of other issues, he said.
"You really just want to leave good enough alone."
Allie Feinberg reports on politics for Knox News. Email her: allie.feinberg@knoxnews.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @alliefeinberg.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County to work with utility companies on dangerous pole removal
