LaSalle County committee approves $83,021 budget amendment to purchase coroner transport van

The LaSalle County Finance and TIF Committee voted Monday to send a budget amendment to the full county board that would authorize $83,021.90 to purchase a transport van for the coroner’s office.

The action came after Rich, coroner, described difficulties arranging funeral-home transports and presented updated bids for a van that a dealer had placed on courtesy hold "pending the outcome of today's meetings." He told the committee the van purchase would allow the coroner’s office to bring decedents back to LaSalle County in more cases and estimated it would save about $28,000 a year, with the cost recouped in roughly three years.

The committee's discussion focused on operational limits and staffing. Rich said the office averages about 87 autopsies over the past two years, is budgeting based on roughly 80 trips, and proposes bringing back about 75 one-way transports plus about five special circumstances annually, such as homicides or child deaths. "We would have to get some more staffing if we're going to bring them both ways," Rich said, describing the need for extra personnel to safely lift and load decedents when funeral-home crews are not available.

Rich told the committee funeral homes have increasingly refused transports because of staffing shortages, and that some decedents already remain in Bloomington when families or funeral homes arrange alternatives. He said the coroner’s office would continue to rely on funeral homes when families name a provider; when funeral homes cannot perform a transport, the county would place decedents in the county cooler and require pickup within three business days.

Committee Chair Tina Bush said the purchase would be paid from the public safety budget (fund 33) and moved the item to a formal budget amendment. Gary Small moved the budget amendment; Tom Templeton seconded. The committee conducted a roll call vote: Doug Traeger — aye; Gary Small — aye; Tom Templeton — aye; Grama — aye; Steve Aubrey — aye; Areida Zinecki — nay. The motion carried and will be forwarded to the full county board for final approval.

The committee packet included updated bid prices and the coroner’s calculation of potential savings. The coroner asked the committee to decide where within the public-safety budget the purchase should be funded; staff noted an internal line-item change and a need to make two adjustments within fund 33 to account for the expense.

The item was discussed and voted as a budget amendment to be sent to the full board; no final purchase was executed at the committee level. The van remained on dealer hold at the time of the meeting pending the county board’s action.