Sumner County commissioners voted to remove an agenda item about GPS tracking of county emergency medical services vehicles, and an effort to restore the item for public discussion failed during the same meeting.

Commissioner Wright, who pressed to keep the topic on the agenda, said he had "several folks reach out" about a lack of records showing how often ambulances leave stations and whether a GPS policy exists. He moved to add the item back for discussion so "the people would know what it's about," but the motion was blocked by the chair and the earlier vote to strike remained in place.

The motion to remove the item (listed as 13c on the draft agenda) passed on a voice vote described in the meeting as 3 to 2. Commissioners did not record individual roll-call votes in the transcript for that motion. After the removal, multiple commissioners debated whether the matter could be raised again at a later meeting; one commissioner said it could be brought back at the next meeting.

Supporters of discussion said the question is about public accountability for county-owned assets. "I'm just talking about the people who pay for things like GPS to install, maintain, and monitor. And we don't have a policy," Commissioner Wright said. He said his intent was not to compromise safety but to provide residents oversight of how county funds are spent.

Opponents and the chair ruled that because the item had been removed it could not be debated at that meeting. A commissioner who opposed reopening the item told the meeting the parliamentary rules did not permit adding it back during the same session after the removal vote.

The debate also touched on broader EMS resourcing and facilities: during the discussion Commissioner Wright referenced a recently authorized Westmoreland building project, saying the county had allocated "4 and a half million dollars for a building in Westmoreland that's gonna house 2 ambulances," and argued citizens had a right to know how assets were used. Another commissioner warned that some information about personnel and vehicle locations is sensitive; one commissioner said they would pursue public records to obtain names and details because citizens were not being given that information directly.

No formal policy change or directive was adopted at the meeting; the transcript shows discussion and a successful motion to remove the GPS item from that session’s agenda. Several speakers indicated the issue could be raised again at a future meeting or pursued via public-records requests.

Why it matters: Commissioners framed the matter as one of both public accountability and personnel safety. Supporters said a clear GPS policy and call logs would tell residents how county money is used and how often ambulances are deployed; others said procedural rules and the sensitivity of personnel location data limit what can be discussed or released in open session.

The county did not adopt new written policy during the meeting. Commissioners suggested the topic could return to a future agenda after additional internal review or in response to a public-records request that one commissioner said they would file.