Knox County Commissioners have finalized the repeal of local ordinances regulating invasive plant species and dissolved both the Invasive Species Board and the county’s Weed Board. The 2–1 vote, with Commissioners T.J. Brink and Tim Ellerman II in favor and Kellie Streeter opposed, mirrored a previous vote earlier this month.

Streeter reiterated her opposition before the vote, calling the repeal harmful to agriculture, forests, and public health.

Conservation advocates again packed the meeting in protest as they did two weeks ago during first reading of the repeal.

Larry Sutterer, the now former president of the defunct Invasive Species Board, compared invasive species to cancer and warned of their long-term impact. Denise Egel of Knox County CISMA called the move a failure of leadership, and resident Tony Mahan criticized the process as rushed and dismissive of voters.

Brink did not speak during the final meeting but previously said, “The state already regulates invasive species, and our ordinance puts our local vendors at a competitive disadvantage.”

Critics said the repeal eliminates a valuable, volunteer-driven tool that protected public lands at no cost to taxpayers.