Rutherford County Public Safety Committee reviews storm response, approves grants and budget reallocations

The Rutherford County Public Safety Committee met March 23, 2026, and heard reports from emergency services, EMS, fire and rescue, the sheriff’s office, animal services, risk management and recovery programs before approving several contract renewals, budget transfers and grant applications.

Chris Clark, director of emergency services/public safety, told the committee the county responded to winter storm Fern and a March 15th event, and "we sheltered 86 people seeking shelter during the potential severe weather here recently." He said volunteers and emergency-management staff supported shelter operations and that the county has started a local emergency planning committee to coordinate with tier‑two hazardous‑materials facilities. Clark described a dashboard check‑in using QR codes and said the county had staged Red Cross trailers in La Vergne but that the Red Cross did not open shelters; he characterized the decision about when to open partner‑run shelters as a "heated discussion" with Red Cross partners.

The committee approved the recommendation that Susie Cunningham and John Ingle serve as the county’s representatives on a unified dispatch study steering committee. Cunningham was identified in the meeting materials as assistant director for public safety; Ingle was identified as a shift commander for county fire.

Melanie Michaud, assistant director of administration for EMS, reported 3,490 calls in February, including seven hospital‑to‑hospital transfers, a response time of "7 minutes and 15 seconds," and collections of $721,067. The committee approved three EMS budget actions: accepting and transferring a $30,303 no‑match Tennessee Department of Health grant into a health‑equipment line item; moving $550 in EMS Week donations (plus $519 leftover from the prior year) into the donations line item; and transferring $50,000 from patient charges into a refunds line to reimburse overpayments.

Chief Farley of Fire & Rescue presented monthly call statistics (fire 5.9%, medical 62.5%, other 31.6%), noted an arson arrest tied to one investigated structure fire, and described recent rescues including extrications and life‑safety actions where crews and mutual‑aid partners recovered trapped occupants and rescued animals. Farley said of one freeway incident, "there's no doubt in anyone's mind that if the crew had not been in the area ... that accident would have resulted in two fatalities." The committee approved a $63,200 reallocation within the fire budget to cover apparatus maintenance and related needs; the motion passed by roll call with Commissioner Wright voting No and the remaining commissioners voting Yes.

Chief Spence reported sheriff’s office figures, including a jail population of 998 in the morning and 997 in the afternoon, multiple staffing openings, and a pay comparison noting Murfreesboro School Resource Officers start at roughly $74,000–$78,000 while county SROs average about $63,700.

Animal services director Michael Gregory reported 430 intakes in February, live release rates of 95.8% for dogs and 96.5% for cats (96.3% including wildlife), and a monthly euthanasia rate of 1.4%. He explained the shelter’s criteria for sending animals for rabies testing (for example, animals not current on rabies vaccination or showing neurologic symptoms) and confirmed the shelter uses microchips for permanent identification rather than active tracking.

Ed Elam, insurance and risk management director, summarized February incident counts and reserves and highlighted in‑house OSHA 10‑hour trainings now offered by department instructors. Lindsay Davis, reentry program coordinator, asked permission to apply for two grants: Project RISE (Opioid Abatement Council), up to $500,000 over three years with no match, to address opioid treatment for incarcerated individuals; and a Second Chance Act grant (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention), up to $750,000 over three years, to support incarcerated parents and their minor children. Both applications were approved by roll call.

Other routine reports included probation statistics, correctional work‑center outcomes and an announcement that Sergeant Chuck Curry will receive a Facility Training Officer of the Year award from the Tennessee Corrections Institute. The meeting adjourned following other business.

Votes at a glance: minutes approved by voice; VBH MOU renewal approved by roll call (unanimous); EMS grant and transfers approved by roll calls; fire budget reallocation approved by roll call (one No); Project RISE and Second Chance Act grant applications approved by roll call (unanimous).

The committee did not take action authorizing shelter operation policies beyond naming representatives for a dispatch study; staff said decisions about opening partner‑run shelters remain an ongoing discussion with the Red Cross.