Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Coroner Budget And Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sheridan County coroner presses for staff stability as pathologist plan stalls
Summary
Sheridan County Coroner Dr. Byrd asked commissioners to keep two full-time deputy positions and to retain funding for office operations after a proposed local forensic pathology program proved too costly; commissioners urged a compromise of one full-time and two part-time positions while directing the coroner to revise his budget.
Dr. Byrd, Sheridan County coroner, told the Board of County Commissioners on June 9 that a local forensic pathology program remains cost-prohibitive and asked commissioners to approve two full‑time deputy positions to ensure continuity in case coverage.
He said the county’s recruitment efforts — including conversations with Barton Associates and a Las Vegas firm identified as Forensic Pathology Services — did not produce a cost‑effective option. "They’re not cost effective at all," Dr. Byrd said of outside providers, and he told the board the going rate to hire a full‑time forensic pathologist would be about $350,000 a year. He said a locum model that would bring a pathologist and an autopsy assistant would run into tens of thousands per case, and that a single autopsy can cost roughly $56,000 under some proposals.
Why it matters: commissioners must set a balanced 2025–26 budget by early July and are weighing whether to fund permanent positions, rely on on‑call assistants, or continue using outside medical examiners. Staffing choices affect the coroner’s ability to respond to scenes, perform office work and document cases.
The coroner outlined operating needs beyond salaries: consumables (body bags, gloves, gowns, masks), contract hazardous‑waste removal through Stericycle, vehicle maintenance and an X‑ray capability the office does not yet own. He told commissioners the coroner’s office has two serviceable vehicles now and asked the board to consider lower “for consideration” amounts than the department’s requested totals for maintenance and utilities.
Commissioners probed whether to convert on‑call assistants into regular employees and how many permanent positions the office needs. Commissioner Haswell said he preferred a model with one full‑time employee and two part‑time employees to balance the "ebb and flow" of workload; Commissioner Jennings and others urged flexibility to avoid burnout in a small staff when calls spike.
Discussion vs. direction vs. decision: commissioners did not take a formal vote. They asked Dr. Byrd to revise his budget to reflect alternatives discussed and to meet with HR (Kenny) to confirm pay columns and step/grade information. County staff and commissioners discussed converting some temporary/on‑call hours into salaried positions to reduce administrative difficulty and to ensure two trained staff can cover scenes and office processing if one is unavailable.
Dr. Byrd acknowledged the county can still send cases to the state medical examiner (Billings) and said he would press ahead with recruitment while preparing a revised budget. "I still would like 2 full times. But if you wanna go 1 full time and 2 part times, I can live with it. Our mission won't change," Dr. Byrd told the board.
Ending: Commissioners directed the coroner to return with adjusted numbers and to coordinate with HR and the county budget office so the board can consider the changes before adopting the fiscal 2025–26 budget.
