Sumner County ad hoc committee convenes to study volunteer fire funding, tables funding debate until January

SUMNER COUNTY — Sumner County commissioners and volunteer fire-service representatives met at the first session of the county’s volunteer fire department ad hoc committee to scope long-term funding, operational needs and data collection, and to set a schedule for follow-up work.

Joe McLaughlin, a local volunteer-fire advocate, opened public comment with a recap of past committee work and recommendations. McLaughlin said a previous ad hoc recommended applying the CTAS funding formula and entering contracts with volunteer departments to reduce county liability; those recommendations were later rejected by legislative and budget committees, and a subsequent fire-tax referendum attempt failed. He urged the new committee to learn from that history as it considers funding models.

“Blount County, the only utility-based fire district in the state, told us, ‘don’t do it,’” McLaughlin said, recounting feedback the committee had received during early research. He recommended the committee compile department call statistics and budgets to form a factual baseline.

Resident Laura Beggart told the group she reviewed Tennessee Comptroller filings and found limited compliance with state reporting requirements. “Only 15% of the fire departments have been compliant with filing that report with the comptroller’s office,” Beggart said, and she urged the committee to obtain those reports and use them to analyze revenues and expenditures.

Committee members and fire chiefs emphasized that the work should not be purely a financial exercise. Several members said the committee must define service goals — for example whether to retain nine volunteer departments, merge units, or move toward a paid county service — and then align funding and organizational changes with that operational baseline.

The group agreed to gather a set of core materials before conducting a deeper funding discussion: the CTAS (County Technical Assistance Service) report, recent department budgets and financial reports, a plain-language summary of NFPA 1720 guidance, Sumner County GIS maps showing station coverage, ISO ratings and an inventory of apparatus and protective equipment (noted useful items included truck age, turnout gear replacement dates and SCBA expiration dates). Committee members asked that these materials be compiled and distributed by email to the full group ahead of the next meeting.

The committee set recurring meetings for the second Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m., with the next meeting scheduled for Dec. 9. During the session, Chief Sam Thorne (Portland Fire Department) moved to table substantive discussion of funding options until the January meeting so the requested analytics and documents could be gathered; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote.

The ad hoc committee also completed internal organization: nominations were opened for chair and vice chair; the transcript records the vice-chair election with Mister Shoemaker recorded as elected by a 4–3 count. The transcript’s notation of the chair vote is unclear on a single winning name, and the record does not unambiguously report the final chair’s full name.

Assigned follow-up items included distribution of the CTAS report, compiled department budgets, GIS station-coverage maps from Sumner County, ISO ratings, NFPA 1720 summary materials and apparatus inventories. Committee members said they will use a single county contact to collect submissions and circulate the compiled materials before the next meeting.

The committee adjourned after confirming action items and the schedule for the next meeting.

What’s next: members will review the CTAS report and the requested budget and coverage data; the ad hoc committee will reconvene for further discussion of funding models in January once those materials are submitted.