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Coroner reports steady caseload, rising transport costs and potential budget pressure for 2025
Summary
Dr. Snell, Lincoln County coroner, reviewed statutory duties, caseload data and autopsy/transport practices. He reported 89 accepted cases last year with 19 autopsies, five homicides and five drug deaths; transport-company changes increased costs and the office expects a possible budget shortfall in 2025 tied to transport expenses.
Doctor Snell, coroner for Lincoln County, updated commissioners Feb. 11 on coroner responsibilities under state law, case volumes and budget pressures tied to transport costs.
Snell said state law requires investigation of deaths of public interest and explained the office's process for determining which deaths require full autopsy, which can be handled by a medical facility, and when the county will transport and authorize storage. He reported that for the prior year the office accepted 89 cases; of those, 19 required autopsy. Among autopsied cases, he said there were five homicides, five drug-related deaths (mostly fentanyl with some methamphetamine) and two traffic-related deaths.
Snell said the county transported 47 individuals to Sanford and that 13 of those were placed in county-managed storage because families had not selected a funeral home. He said the county's prior transport contractor ended services and the county switched to Dakota Embalming Transport, which has resulted in increased line-item costs for transport. He estimated a straightforward transport cost at roughly $950.
Snell said the 2024 budget closed with a surplus, but because the 2025 budget was built on the prior transport-company rates, he expects a likely shortfall in the transport line-item this year. He said autopsy volume is not expected to increase materially in 2025 and that the county is using the state toxicology lab when appropriate to reduce costs.
During public comment, an ambulance-service representative praised the coroner's office's professionalism and streamlined service. Commissioners thanked Dr. Snell and discussed possible cost-recovery approaches when families have no funeral home, including estate recovery or local ordinance options; Snell said counties are exploring options but that funeral homes generally will not absorb the transport burden.
Why it matters: coroner operations and transport costs affect county budgets and public-health reporting; rising transport expenses may require budget adjustments or policy changes on cost recovery for families without funeral-home arrangements.
