Committee defers Gallatin IT memorandum after debate over server location and unpaid reappraisal fees
Summary
Sumner County's legislative committee deferred consideration of an IT memorandum of understanding with the City of Gallatin after commissioners questioned server location, the county's role as host or backup, and whether Gallatin has paid reappraisal fees the county says are owed.
Sumner County———The legislative committee on Dec. 8 deferred consideration of an information-technology memorandum of understanding with the City of Gallatin after extended questioning about where Gallatin's servers would be located, what role the county would play as a host or backup, and whether Gallatin has outstanding property reappraisal fees owed to the county.
The controversy began in public comment, when David Klein of Gallatin told the committee he was concerned about the proposed placement of Gallatin's servers. "It's strange to me that they would have their servers be in our EMS on Airport Road if I'm understanding that correctly," Klein said, asking the committee to explain the arrangement.
During the committee———discussion, a commissioner moved to amend approval by making it contingent on the City of Gallatin paying "its full portion" of outstanding reappraisal fees to the county. "I'm gonna make a motion to make this contingent on payment in full of what the city of Gallatin owes us," the commissioner said. Committee members debated the amendment and the substance of the IT arrangement: multiple speakers sought clarity on whether servers would be placed in the county EMS building (described in discussion as not tornado-rated) or in the Emergency Communications District building (described as tornado-rated), and whether the county would serve only as a backup location.
Committee discussion included estimates of the reappraisal amount; one commissioner characterized it as "around a million dollars," while another said the figure could be closer to $2 million. The committee did not record a definitive, itemized total at the meeting; the amount was discussed only as an estimate.
After debate on the amendment and confusion about what constituted a binding majority for that vote, the chair returned the committee to the main motion. The county mayor asked for a deferral to gather answers on location, functionality and outstanding payments; the committee then voted to defer the IT MOU for one month so staff could provide additional information.
What happens next: The committee's deferral instructs staff to return with clearer documentation about the proposed server location, whether the county's Emergency Communications District or another county facility would serve as the host or backup, and the specific outstanding reappraisal amount the county alleges Gallatin owes. No final approval or contractual commitment was made at the Dec. 8 meeting.
Quote at issue: "I'm gonna make a motion to make this contingent on payment in full of what the city of Gallatin owes us," an unidentified commissioner said during debate; the committee later deferred the item pending further information.
Votes and procedure: The committee did not adopt the IT MOU at the meeting. An amendment tying approval to full payment of reappraisal fees was proposed and debated but did not result in final approval; the main motion was deferred.
Transparency notes: The committee discussed server location in terms of the EMS building and the county's Emergency Communications District building; committee members gave differing approximations of the unpaid reappraisal amount ("around $1,000,000" to "approaching $2,000,000"). The exact amount was not specified at the meeting and must be verified by county finance staff before the item returns.
