Public Safety Committee approves corrections training grant and $550,000 overtime transfer

The Rutherford County Public Safety Committee on Nov. 24 approved a trio of sheriff’s office funding items meant to support training and cover staffing shortages in the county jail.

Chief Spence asked the committee to accept an $11,525, no‑match Tennessee Corrections Institute training equipment grant to buy CPR/AED training tools and supplies for the jail. Commissioners approved the grant on a roll call vote, with Commissioners Beverly, McMurray, Sereno, James, Hall, Oliver and Chairman Reed voting yes.

Spence also requested a budget amendment moving $550,000 from guards’ salaries into the jail overtime line to cover vacant positions and Family Medical Leave Act coverage. Commissioners approved the transfer after a roll-call vote.

Finally, the committee accepted a $10,000 reimbursement offer from Prevention Coalition for Success, awarded through a Tennessee Highway Safety Office grant that began Oct. 1; the coalition will reimburse the county for overtime tied to team education and an alcohol-management program. The county will sign a memorandum of understanding to receive the reimbursement.

Committee action was procedural: each item was presented by Chief Spence, discussed briefly and carried by roll call or voice vote. No commissioner registered a recorded dissent during the votes recorded in the meeting transcript.

What’s next: funds will be placed in the jail’s law enforcement supplies and overtime lines as approved; the MOU with Prevention Coalition for Success will be signed to secure the reimbursement.