Committee: Voters would decide term limits [Knox County]

Knoxville News Sentinel ^ | 7/27/6 | staff

[SmithL]

Voters in November would be deciding which offices term limits would apply to under a proposal discussed today by members of the Knox County Charter Review Committee.

If approved by the committee in two weeks, each office would be listed separately on the November ballot.

Committee member Mike Hammond, a county commissioner, made the suggestion saying people would likely want to vote on each individual office, such as sheriff and mayor.

The committee is looking at ways to repair the county’s charter pending an expected ruling from the state Supreme Court.

If the court upholds the finding by Knox County Chancellor John Weaver that the charter is invalid, then the November referendum would be needed to reinstate terms limits, overwhelmingly approved by voters in 1994, Law Director Mike Moyers said.

The committee is meeting weekly to meet an Aug. 10 deadline to have suggestions to Mayor Mike Ragsdale on how to fix the charter.

[SmithL]

The voters already made their decision, but an activist judge decided otherwise.