Committee defers Nashville Downtown Partnership MOU tied to $15 million public‑safety grant after questions on surveillance and donations

The Metro Nashville Public Safety Committee on Monday deferred consideration of a memorandum of understanding with the Nashville Downtown Partnership (NDP) tied to an FY26 Downtown Public Safety grant the state awarded to NDP, after committee members raised questions about surveillance technology, equipment ownership and how grant dollars would be allocated.

Council members pressed administration and police officials about multiple items listed in the MOU’s Exhibit A, including 15 supplemental public‑safety cameras, so‑called "noise camera" technology, software platforms (LeoSight and 5cast), an armored rescue vehicle and funding for downtown outreach and public restrooms. Dave Rosenberg of the mayor’s office said the application window had been short and that NDP applied for the grant; he told the committee that the materials indicate roughly $6,000,000 would be used by NDP and about $9,000,000 would be for Metro uses, subject to future council approval.

"It was a very short time window," Rosenberg said when explaining why NDP was the applicant rather than Metro.

Deputy Chief Chris Gilder of the Metro Nashville Police Department described the armored rescue vehicle as "an armored vehicle that allows us to go in in situations where there may be taking fire" and said similar vehicles are staged for special events and high‑risk warrants. On the proposed cameras and audio technology, Gilder said the 15 supplemental cameras would be placed in existing downtown locations "either replacing old aged out cameras or capturing a blank spot in the coverage" and that the feeds are live and monitored by community‑safety center staff. He added that footage is kept on a closed system and is not shared except under court order when used as evidence.

Ben Simpson, chief operating officer of the Nashville Downtown Partnership, described the safety ambassadors the grant would fund as "hospitality wayfinding assist" personnel on Segways who can connect people to outreach teams or law enforcement; he also said many downtown outreach partners would provide services to unhoused people and that last month "they helped house 30 people."

Members repeatedly asked whether the MOU would authorize Metro to use surveillance tools that are not currently permitted in the public right‑of‑way. Special counsel Darby told the committee that private entities are not permitted to place cameras in Metro right‑of‑way and that any Metro purchase or acceptance of surveillance technology that triggers Metro’s technology code would come back to council for separate approval and public hearings.

Committee members also sought the state grant application and line‑item budget so they could verify what the state authorized and how much NDP and Metro each planned to spend. Rosenberg and Special Counsel Darby said the grant award paperwork and a finalized MOU exhibit would inform later, separate council votes if Metro were to accept donated equipment or funds.

After extended questioning, Council member Wiener moved a one‑meeting deferral and rereferral to committee. The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote, and the chair announced the item would be deferred for one meeting.

Next steps: the administration and NDP were asked to provide the grant application, a line‑item budget and additional clarity about which purchases are intended as Metro acquisitions (which would require council acceptance) versus NDP purchases. The item will return to committee after those materials are provided.