LaSalle County coroner asks finance committee to consider buying decedent transport van

At the LaSalle County Public Safety Committee meeting, Coroner Rich proposed purchasing a fully equipped decedent transport vehicle and associated equipment at an estimated total cost of about $81,459 and asked the committee to send the funding request to the county finance committee for consideration.

Rich told the committee the coroner’s office averaged roughly 80 decedents a year for budgeting purposes and reported an existing transport line item of $55,750. He said bringing decedents back to LaSalle County instead of paying funeral homes or outside services to deliver bodies to the regional morgue could cut his transport expense roughly in half and recoup the vehicle cost in less than three years. Rich said the package quote included a state-bid Ford Transit-style van ($53,895), equipment such as two cots and trays (about $15,563), interior upfitting and exhaust fan, plus lights and radio gear (about $10,000).

Rich described operational details: about 90% of transports to the morgue currently are performed by the coroner or the chief deputy; with a county van they would bring decedents back to county facilities and either deliver directly to funeral homes or store them in the county cooler for up to three calendar days for pickup. He said some funeral homes in the county told him they are no longer willing or able to transport decedents to the regional morgue because of staff shortages, increasing the county’s current reliance on paid contractors and deputies for chain-of-custody runs.

Tom, a committee member, and other members framed the proposal as a long-running operational challenge rather than a new problem and voiced support. Tom made a motion to refer the transport-vehicle and equipment request to the county finance committee for discussion of funding; Wally seconded. The committee voted in favor; the chair said the motion carries and the item will go to finance.

The coroner emphasized that special circumstances (such as homicides and child deaths) would still require attention to chain of custody and that some funding for outside transport would remain in the budget while the county evaluates the new approach. The coroner also noted the county’s transport-carry cost savings estimate of about $28,000 per year and that part-time deputies’ job descriptions have been adjusted to allow limited assistance on scene for lifting and loading.

The committee took no final funding action at the meeting; the request was referred to the finance committee for consideration of using the public safety fund or other county funds.

"If we were able to get a vehicle fully equipped as needed ... within less than three years we can recoup that money," Rich said at the meeting. Tom added: "We've been struggling with the coroner's office for years... I would support Rich's proposal."