The Knoxville City Council agreed to issue $700,000 in debt for the purpose of funding bike and walking trails.

Knoxville City Manager Harold Stewart says the purpose of issuing the debt is to add those funds to the $220,000 already set aside in previous budget years, so that the city can apply for grant funding that could double or triple the city’s investment in a new trail system within the community.

Stewart says the need for trails came out of a recent community survey that it was a quality of life issue many citizens wanted.