Coroner urges pay increase for deputies amid rising caseloads, warns of future staffing gaps

Dubois County Coroner Katie Shipp asked the county commissioners to include a 7% pay increase for coroner staff in the budget process, arguing that the office’s workload and out-of-pocket costs for deputies have grown and that the county relies on a local funeral home for morgue and autopsy services.

"We're asking for basically $7,090 more on top of what the current budget is," Shipp said, describing the requested increases across the coroner’s salary lines. She told the commissioners that deputies often use personal vehicles at their own expense to respond to scene calls and to travel for training, that the county does not provide vehicles for coroner responses, and that autopsy costs average about $1,900 when the county must hire an outside pathologist.

Shipp described growing call volume after regional changes at Memorial Hospital and said the hospital now notifies the coroner on every inpatient death; transfers from other hospitals and higher trauma volumes have increased caseloads. She also said the county relies on Becker Placer (a local funeral home) to perform removals and to provide refrigerated storage and autopsy coordination, and that family inability to pay often leaves the county and that funeral home absorbing costs.

Shipp warned of an impending staffing and service risk: the county’s forensic pathologist has told her he plans to stop performing autopsies after her term ends, which would require the county to transport decedents to Vanderburgh County or other locations for autopsies at increased expense. She said, "It's almost like the office is gonna have to become a full time office," citing retirements among deputies and difficulty recruiting replacements because the job requires training and a board exam.

Commissioners asked follow-up questions about the scope of calls, whether township trustees cover funeral costs, and whether the state pays for toxicology. Shipp said toxicology is paid by the state and that township trustees have statutory limits and often pay only around $500 toward burial costs, leaving a gap.

The commissioners did not approve a pay increase at the meeting. Instead they directed staff to review options, including whether per-run reimbursements, mileage reimbursement, a county vehicle, or other compensation changes are feasible and to bring back proposals in time for the 2027 budget cycle. They also agreed to meet with Shipp and other stakeholders to study classification, reimbursement, and service models before taking formal action.