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Budget committee approves multiple funding moves, grants and contracts in Sept. 4 meeting
Summary
The committee approved minutes, financial reports, several budget amendments and grant actions, forwarded a stop‑loss insurance recommendation to purchasing, and accepted a preliminary bond resolution for a multifamily housing rehabilitation project in Smyrna.
The Rutherford County Budget Committee on Sept. 4 approved a range of routine and substantive items including minutes, financial reports, grant rollovers, contracts and funding amendments across county departments.
The committee opened by approving the minutes and then received the county trustee’s investment report. County Trustee Ted Beatty reported LGIP yields and noted one bid that locked funds; commissioners asked about investment income tracking and Michael Smith, the budget and finance director, said investment income is tracking above the conservative budget but near last year’s actuals.
Committee business with formal motions and roll calls included:
- Risk management: The committee reviewed risk management financial reports for various funds and approved forwarding a recommendation from the insurance and risk management committee to purchasing to change the stop‑loss attachment point from $500,000 to $600,000. Risk director Ed Ehlen explained the change would leave the county’s premium essentially unchanged while increasing the county’s retained risk between $500,000 and $600,000; the committee approved the recommendation by roll call.
- Preliminary bond resolution (Health & Education Facilities Board): Counsel Sumner Bridal presented a request to authorize issuance of revenue bonds through the Health and Education Facilities Board to finance acquisition and rehabilitation of an 80‑unit low‑income multifamily housing facility in Smyrna. Bridal said the bond issuance entails no liability to the county. The committee approved the preliminary resolution by roll call.
- Fire and Rescue: The committee approved two amendments for Fire & Rescue. One reallocated funds to address a brown‑recluse spider infestation at the department’s logistics building and the other reclassified a compliance specialist to Fire Operations Coordinator, increasing salary and shifting budgeted wages; both measures passed on roll call.
- Sheriff’s Office grants and applications: Deputy Chief Steve Spence presented three grant carryovers and two grant applications. The committee approved carryover appropriations for the Tennessee Highway Safety overtime grant ($28,626), the teen driving safety grant ($727) and a mental‑health patient transport grant ($514,636) that is held in a restricted fund and used to pay contracted transport vendors. The committee also agreed to apply for a Tennessee Corrections Institute training grant (up to $15,000) and a State Criminal Aliens Assistance Program reimbursement grant; both applications were approved.
- Correctional Work Center: Superintendent Bill Cope presented a one‑year dishwashing lease with Ecolab. After negotiation the county lowered the monthly price; the committee approved the contract.
- Juvenile detention center contracts: The committee approved updated contracts and rate increases with Perry and Haywood counties for out‑of‑county juvenile detention placements; county staff said these are the same contract forms previously approved and now carry the updated daily rate.
- Archive admin position transfer: HR recommended transferring an empty probation department position to the Archives department to accommodate an ADA accommodation; the committee approved moving the position and the related budget transfer.
- ARPA pass‑through grants: The committee recognized rollover revenue and approved pass‑through payments tied to previously awarded ARPA projects, including a water infrastructure pass‑through to Consolidated Utility District and a Broadband Ready Communities grant to local nonprofits; staff said the county monitors expenses and submits reimbursements to the state before passing funds on.
- Opioid committee advertising: The committee approved appropriations to cover an existing ScreenVision contract and local radio advertising on WGNS, increasing the opioid committee advertising budget by $23,860.
Several items required no action or were informational only. A proposed juvenile court addition and renovation item will be routed back to property management and purchasing and thus was not acted on in budget. A presentation about a proposed TDOT/Murfreesboro‑led project to widen Memorial Boulevard to five lanes into Rutherford County was informational only; commissioners were asked to consider potential future partnership funding if the project reaches TDOT’s shortlist.
At the meeting’s close, HR presented results of an annual performance evaluation for Budget and Finance Director Michael Smith, which committee members rated overwhelmingly positive.
