Rutherford County committee advances plan for regional forensic center after lengthy debate

The Rutherford County Public Safety Committee voted 4-2 on Feb. 24 to give a favorable recommendation to planning a regional forensic center in Rutherford County, advancing the proposal to the Health & Education Committee, property management and the county budget office.

The proposal presented to the committee would build an initial, approximately 15,000-square-foot facility with space for autopsy suites, administrative offices and limited body storage, with room planned for future expansion to roughly the 20,000-square-foot size suggested in an earlier feasibility study. Proponents said the center would reduce travel and turnaround time for autopsies, relieve strain on local emergency services and produce long-term cost savings compared with paying an outside vendor for autopsy services.

Eric Hensley, chief of staff to the mayor, framed the project as a countywide need and said it had broad public-safety support. "The state of Tennessee Department of Health has identified this as a ... great need," Hensley said. Denise Martin, supervisor of death investigations for the Rutherford County medical examiner's office, cited a Tennessee Department of Health–commissioned feasibility report and read portions of its findings, including that "the assessment team strongly believes that Tennessee urgently requires at least 1 additional regional forensic center to alleviate the strain faced by the Middle Tennessee RFC. Ideally, this facility would be situated in Rutherford County." Martin described the county's lack of a full-time county morgue and said that increased population and caseloads make a local facility urgent.

Rough cost and capacity details in the presentation included: - Construction and equipment: the architects and project team estimated a projected construction total of about $15 million (projected total including identified value‑engineering reductions), with an owner-controlled contingency included. - Facility size and capacity: the design team described about 15,000 square feet initially, with three autopsy stations in the main autopsy room and a fourth isolation station; storage capacity of about 44 bodies; and a planned expansion path to larger square footage if demand grows. - Operating costs and staffing: presenters estimated initial ongoing operating costs in the neighborhood of $1.0 million a year for an initial staff footprint (one full‑time forensic pathologist supported by locum/contract physicians, two forensic technicians and administrative support), compared with the roughly $1.5 million the county said it currently spends annually on vendor autopsy services, transportation and related fees. The county noted state reimbursement opportunities (e.g., per‑autopsy payments) that could offset operations.

Supporters from law enforcement urged action. Captain Todd Sparks, commander of investigations for the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, said investigators experience delays that can slow homicide and overdose probes and called the proposal "a big step in the right direction" for law enforcement. Denise Martin and Brian Gaither of Rutherford County EMS said a local facility would allow trained specialists to handle death investigations and free EMS supervisors to focus on emergency medical care.

Not all speakers were persuaded the county should proceed immediately. Some commissioners and other members of the committee raised three recurring concerns: the price and the timing of construction and operations, enterprise risk if the county becomes the long‑term operator of a specialized facility, and quality or capacity trade‑offs if the center is built smaller than some earlier recommendations. Commissioner comments noted the county's recent use of one‑time fund balance and the desire to avoid creating recurring costs the county cannot sustain. Commissioner questions sought clarification on how the county would recruit forensic pathologists, how odors and neighborhood impacts would be mitigated, and how surge capacity would be handled during a mass‑fatality event.

At the meeting a representative of the current regional provider, Dr. Feng Li, CEO of Forensic Medical and chief medical examiner for Davidson County, defended his office's performance and capacity, noting an average case turnaround of about 45 days in 2024 and offering to discuss contract terms. Architects from Klein Swinney Architects described building systems for separation of autopsy spaces and special HVAC/odour exhaust systems the team said would discharge and disperse air 50 feet above the roofline.

After roughly three hours of public presentations and commissioner discussion, Commissioner Rather (motion maker not specified on the record) moved to forward the item with a positive recommendation. The motion passed 4-2 and the committee directed staff to carry the proposal next to the Health & Education Committee, property management and the budget office for further review. The outcome does not authorize construction or commit funding; those steps remain subject to future committee and commission action.

The county will next consider the plan at the committee and budget stages, where commissioners said they expect additional fiscal details, staffing plans and contract options to be developed.