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County council tables coroner reclassification request until May amid revenue uncertainty
Summary
Vanderburgh County Council voted to table a request to reclassify a coroner office position after members raised concerns about state-level tax changes and county finances; supporters said the role carries duties beyond a typical secretary.
Bridal Underwood, a representative of the coroner’s office, asked the Vanderburgh County Council to reclassify a vacant deputy coroner/secretary position to a higher pay classification to reflect combined administrative and deputy duties. “I'm Bridal Underwood. I'm with the coroner's office, and we're here to see about getting a reclassification in the job opening we have now,” she said.
The request would move the position from a ComStat 6 classification to PAT 5, the coroner's office said, to better match the mix of administrative responsibilities, subpoenas and field tasks that the person fills. Deputy coroner Debbie Smith described having covered both front-office and deputy duties since the prior incumbent retired and said the combined workload makes recruiting at the current pay level difficult.
Council members pressed for more detail on supervisory responsibilities and whether the job supervises other staff. Several members also raised broader fiscal concerns: one council member warned that a pending state property-tax bill could materially reduce county revenue in 2026 and said the council should be cautious about creating a new compensation precedent while state outcomes remain uncertain. That member characterized the possible revenue loss as substantial, saying the earlier versions of the state proposal “would have cost the county ... approximately $2,500,000,000.0 in 2026.”
After discussion about intermediate classifications and requests to collect more information about reporting lines, the council voted to table the reclassification request until the council's first meeting in May so members can review state budget outcomes and departmental job responsibilities. The motion to table passed on roll call: six ayes, one nay.
Supporters of the reclassification said the current duties go beyond a typical secretary, and that employees are performing both administrative and certified deputy-coroner functions. Opponents and some members said the timing is poor, recommending more research on an appropriate pay band and whether a middle classification could address the gap.
The council directed staff to return with additional documentation and clearer reporting structures before the May meeting; a formal vote on reclassification was postponed.
