Committee approves consent agenda, hears grant and victim‑services updates and a 10‑year Office of Family Safety report preview

The Public Health & Safety Committee approved a multi‑item consent agenda and then considered a pulled item before hearing public comments and departmental updates. The chair read nine agenda items including juvenile justice subcontract approvals, a $50,000 workforce development grant, library programming for autistic adults, a Safety Net Consortium agreement with the Metropolitan Board of Health, a clinical training partnership with the University of Memphis School of Public Health, state grants to host a Tennessee Family Justice Center conference, Project Safe Neighborhoods funding for gun‑violence investigations, an intergovernmental inspection agreement for Berryhill, and a U.S. Department of Homeland Security fire prevention grant.

Chair Porterfield pulled RS2025‑1384 from the consent agenda; the remaining consent items were approved by voice vote (chair announced '10 in favor, 0 against, 0 not voting'). The pulled item, RS2025‑1384 (an appropriation of $50,000 via the Metropolitan Action Commission to Music City Construction Careers for apprenticeship readiness and job placement), was moved, seconded and approved with 9 in favor, 0 against and 1 not voting.

Committee staff answered questions about emergency‑level grants that were recently 'restored' to Davidson County. Mr. Sharp said one grant that ends next month will likely be spent on a media buy rather than short‑term hires; two other federal grants allocated through the state were returned to the Tennessee Department of Health and the county is awaiting the state's process to determine whether funds or positions can be re‑established. On the community health worker grant, Sharp offered a rough recollection 'maybe $600,000' but said he was not certain; the committee requested ongoing updates.

Public comment: Verna Wyatt of Tennessee Voices for Victims described three decades of victim‑assistance work, stressed the importance of trauma‑informed counseling and statewide victim support protocols and urged use of technology such as license‑plate readers to aid apprehension of suspects. Wyatt said Nashville has had a trained police counseling unit for more than 30 years that provides free, one‑on‑one counseling for victims and described statewide protocols to support victims after mass‑violence incidents.

Office of Family Safety update: Diane Lance previewed a '10‑year' progress update report to be released Friday with remarks from the mayor and vice mayor. She said eight new positions tied to prior assessment recommendations are in motion, including a firearm‑possession position lodged in the police budget and two bond oversight positions to be located in general sessions probation; she recommended the committee schedule pilot progress updates in October 2025 and January 2026 and to specify the data needed to evaluate pilot outcomes.

Next steps: Staff agreed to provide periodic updates on grant status, the Office of Youth Safety’s follow‑up cost estimates, and pilot performance metrics; RS2025‑1384 is recorded as approved in committee.