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Committee recommends paying court costs for indigent burial petition; plans email approval for cremation if needed
Summary
Budget & Finance Committee voted to recommend that the fiscal court authorize payment of required circuit-court filing costs for an indigent burial petition filed by the coroner; committee authorized handling potential cremation expenses by email because of timeliness.
The committee unanimously recommended that the full fiscal court authorize payment of court filing costs so the coroner may petition circuit court to have an unclaimed decedent legally designated for disposition by the county.
Coroner Penny Baker requested assistance after the county coroner’s office determined there is no next of kin or other responsible party for a deceased local resident. The coroner asked the county to cover court filing costs necessary to obtain a circuit-court order authorizing county responsibility for disposition. The county attorney and committee discussed the legal process and the need for timely action because the remains are in the coroner’s custody.
The committee voted to recommend the fiscal court authorize the necessary court costs; the committee also agreed that, if the circuit court grants the request and cremation is the least-cost disposition, the committee will consider approving cremation expenses via email because of time sensitivity. The county attorney advised that burial plots are sometimes available for pauper burials but opening/closing costs commonly exceed cremation, making cremation the lower-cost option in many cases.
A motion recommending authorization of court costs was made and seconded; the vote carried. Committee members asked the clerk and coroner to follow up and present specific cost estimates to the full fiscal court.
