CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) – A longtime fixture of Hamilton County government is retiring.
Bill Knowles has announced he will not seek a 14th term as County Clerk.
Statement from Bill Knowles
County Clerk Bill Knowles announced, as he begins his 52nd year in elected office, that he will not seek a 14th term. “Reflecting on five decades, I sincerely express gratitude to the citizens of Hamilton County for the opportunity to lead the County Clerk’s office. Since my election in 1974, it has been my goal to streamline and modernize this important Constitutional office. Over the years, I have been fortunate to have a team of dedicated deputy clerks whose hard work has helped make these accomplishments possible. I promised in my first campaign to make it easier for motorists to renew their vehicle registrations. At the time, long courthouse lines were the norm. One of my first actions was to dramatically reduce long waits by creating a simple innovation: a mail-in tag renewal option. After that, my office designed and implemented Tennessee’s first online tag renewal system. This option is now used statewide. Later, a satellite office was established through a partnership with the County Commission. The Bonny Oaks satellite location continues to be a popular destination for citizens. Now, with a growing population, four convenient self-service tag renewal kiosks are planned in outlining areas, continuing the advancement of vehicle registration renewal access. The first Kiosk is now operational in the foyer of Food City in Hixson. Our office also prioritized preservation and access to public records by digitizing marriage licenses, historic County Court, and County Council Legislative Body minutes, as well as present County Commission records.
Beyond mandated duties, the Clerk’s Office has taken on several State services to serve citizens better and generate millions in revenue for both Hamilton County and the State of Tennessee. These included processing driver’s license renewals, issuing replacement titles, handling Real ID applications, managing large fleet transactions, and making Chattanooga’s $5 sticker available to City residents visiting the Clerk’s office. With the steady growth of Hamilton County, it has taken strong leadership and teamwork to keep pace. Chief Deputy Clerk Brooke Weaver has provided outstanding direction in office management as well as the vast day-to-day accounting responsibilities, earning perfect audit reviews.
In closing, I want to thank God for His grace, wisdom, and success, as well as for the lessons learned from mistakes along the way. I again express my profound appreciation to the voters and donors for entrusting me to lead this office for half a century, and to the outstanding team of deputy clerks whose dedication has made our accomplishments possible. It has been the honor of my life to serve alongside this professional team and to work with an esteemed group of county employees and elected officials.
