Commish gets $1.5M Regal proposal

The Knox County Commission on Monday officially was handed the first piece of a multimillion-dollar financial proposal that would relocate Regal Entertainment Group’s corporate headquarters from the Halls community to the South Knoxville waterfront and keep the movie theater giant in East Tennessee.

Commissioners opted to forward the proposal without a recommendation to next Monday's voting meeting. They did not publicly discuss the matter.

Knox County Finance Director Chris Caldwell, at the request of Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, added the $1.5 million funding proposal to the board’s work session agenda on Monday.

The commission will publicly address the matter during next Monday’s monthly voting session.

Burchett issued a statement Monday about the potential move: “Whenever we have a chance to invest in growing new jobs or keeping existing ones here in Knox County, I want to be part of that conversation. When considering this type of investment, we always have to make sure it makes sense for the taxpayers. I look forward to being able to provide additional details about this exciting opportunity in the near future.”

After the meeting, Commission Chairman Dave Wright said: "It's economic development. This is about jobs, and Mayor Burchett and the commission are interested in jobs, and if this is playing out for jobs to leave Knox County, then we need to be working to keep those jobs in Knox County."

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