Committee recommends $15 million for Rutherford County regional forensic center; construction planned in Smyrna

Rutherford County commissioners on the Property Management Committee voted to send a favorable recommendation to the county budget to build a Rutherford County Regional Forensic Center and to appropriate $15,000,000 from unassigned fund balance to fund construction of the facility on I Street in Smyrna.

Mr. Hennessy, speaking on behalf of the mayor’s office, introduced the project and asked the committee to view it as a countywide priority supported by multiple public-safety and public-health agencies. “We’re here tonight to talk about the need for a forensic center,” he said. He cited a Tennessee Department of Health–commissioned feasibility study that recommended an additional regional forensic center to relieve strain on the Middle Tennessee Regional Forensic Center.

Denise Martin, who identified herself on the record as the county supervisor of death investigations, described operational issues that she and local responders face without a local forensic center. Martin said Rutherford County does not currently have its own morgue, described repeated delays and communication problems with the regional center in Nashville, and recounted cases in which delayed toxicology or autopsy reporting hampered investigations. “The report... states that all authority rests at the county level for medical legal death investigations in the state of Tennessee,” she said, adding that the feasibility study flagged capacity limits and staffing shortfalls at the Middle Tennessee facility.

Bridal Gaither, identified by presenters as the county EMS director, told commissioners that EMS supervisors currently spend substantial time conducting death investigations because of the lack of 24-hour medical examiner investigator coverage, pulling them away from emergency medical duties and contributing to stress and burnout.

Architect Bart Klein of Klein & Swinney Associates presented the proposed building design: a straightforward, expandable facility located adjacent to a county convenience center, with a front public entrance and a rear sally port for decedent delivery. Klein said the design is intended as a 50-year building with durable materials and a future expansion footprint. He said the project team was negotiating a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) and that a not-to-exceed construction cost of $15,000,000 had been targeted.

Officials said construction is expected to begin in about 60 days and to take roughly 18 months, subject to final permitting and approvals. The presenters described an initial staffing footprint that would absorb the county’s existing medical-examiner office (estimated at roughly $500,000 annually if fully staffed) and add a forensic pathologist, two forensic technicians and an administrative assistant. They estimated current annual expenses the county pays to outside vendors for autopsies and transport at almost $1,000,000; presenters said combining local autopsy and medical-examiner services would reduce annual net costs and keep more of those dollars in-county, though they emphasized the facility is not intended as a profit-making enterprise.

Committee members asked whether the county had sought state or federal matching funds. Presenters said Rutherford County had pursued federal FSAG grant opportunities and state support in prior years but had not secured the matching funds they sought; they reported outreach to legislative and state health officials, but said no state appropriation was available at the time of the discussion. The presenters noted that if other counties used Rutherford’s facility in the future, the county could receive additional reimbursement for those autopsies.

After discussion, Commissioner Johnson moved and a second was recorded; the committee voted on a motion to “approve the construction of the presented forensic center on I Street in Smyrna, Tennessee, and to appropriate $15,000,000 from unassigned fund balance to fund this project.” Roll call recorded yes votes from Commissioners Dodd, Davidson, Wilson, Phillips, Johnson and Chairman McAde and a no vote from Commissioner Irvin. The committee’s motion passed 6–1 and will be forwarded to the county budget process.

Presenters and some commissioners framed the decision as a long-term investment that would improve investigative timeliness, reduce overtime and travel costs for law enforcement and EMS, and address a documented capacity shortfall in the Middle Tennessee region. Commissioner Irvin repeatedly questioned whether additional state or federal funding might be available if the county waited for another budget cycle; presenters said they had pursued those options for years and did not expect state matching funds to materialize in time.

No final operational contract with other counties was recorded in the meeting; presenters said written commitments from other counties did not yet exist. The committee’s vote at this meeting authorized the appropriation of county fund balance for construction; operational staffing, fee schedules and any inter-county agreements would require separate actions.