Bonner County coroner requests pay step for deputy; budget otherwise held steady

Bonner County Coroner Beers told county commissioners during a budget review that his proposed 2026 budget is largely unchanged but includes a requested two-step pay increase to move one deputy coroner to step 4.

The request is the only personnel enhancement in the coroner’s submission, Beers said, and the office otherwise plans to hold expenses steady. “The only thing I’ve basically requested is, technically, an enhancement. It would be a, pay increase for 2 steps for 1 of my deputy coroners to bring her up to, step, I believe, 4. I believe she deserves it,” Beers said.

The coroner’s office reported a total staff of five, including the coroner, with deputies primarily on call and none of the deputies receiving benefits. Beers told commissioners his training obligations are modest: “I believe it’s 24 hours of biannual training, so I would have to attend at least that many hours every 2 years,” and that some conference costs (such as airfare for an annual professional conference) are typically reimbursed by the state.

A major line-item uncertainty for the office remains autopsy costs, which are performed by a provider in Spokane. Beers said the county budgets for roughly 15 autopsies but “we’re a little over 18” in recent experience, leaving about a three-autopsy buffer. He told commissioners he has not received any notice of an impending price increase from the Spokane provider but said prior increases have occurred mid‑budget year. “So I just don’t have any feedback yet,” he said.

Commissioners and the coroner discussed contingency planning should Spokane reduce service or if nearby counties, including Kootenai County, expand local autopsy capacity. Beers said the coroner’s office is not proposing to change its current vendor “at this time,” and described an exploratory idea to generate revenue by making the county’s autopsy suite available for private, family‑requested autopsies performed by outside pathologists. Those private autopsies, Beers said, would be outside the coroner’s jurisdiction and would require coordination with funeral homes and local hospitals for any ancillary services such as x‑rays.

The office reported no capital improvement requests tied to the coroner suite. Small‑asset and miscellaneous purchases have included an unplanned Canon printer purchase for the new building (about $740) and a bulk purchase of black body pouches at $60 each on a temporary sale, below the normal $80–$100 range. Beers said those purchases pushed current small‑asset spending modestly over this year’s budget.

Commissioners suggested developing a five‑year plan to guide potential investments — for example, portable x‑ray access or relationships with traveling pathology teams — so the county could better position the facility for either occasional private autopsies or a more active forensic role if regional service patterns change. No formal motion or vote was taken on the coroner budget during the discussion.

The coroner’s office and commissioners agreed to keep the proposed 2026 budget largely intact while monitoring autopsy costs and exploring future facility use and revenue options.