Sheridan County coroner trims forensic request, seeks new staffing mix amid high pathology costs

Sheridan County Coroner Dr. Byrd told the Board of County Commissioners on June 9 that the county will not proceed this year with a funded forensic pathologist as originally requested, citing vendor pricing and insufficient case volume to attract a full‑service pathologist and autopsy assistant.

"Now we're considering 0 because we're not gonna have we don't have a forensic pathologist," Dr. Byrd said, describing vendor proposals that would add substantial per‑case costs. He told commissioners that some private models were quoting about "$56,000 per case" and that a full‑time hire could have an annual salary on the order of "$350,000." He said the county may still rely on occasional services from nearby medical examiners if those clinicians obtain Wyoming licensure.

The coroner reviewed operating items in his office budget, proposing smaller amounts for hazmat disposal and vehicle maintenance and highlighting medical supplies and imaging needs. He said medical supplies and autopsy imaging historically come from the office's medical expense line and asked commissioners to consider $10,000 for medical supplies and $2,500 for training and travel for deputies, among other line items. For hazard‑waste disposal, he cited an existing contract with Stericycle and suggested a reduction from $3,500 to $2,000 for consideration.

Commissioners pressed on staffing structure. Dr. Byrd asked for two full‑time deputy positions to create operational redundancy: "I want them to be mirror images in case 1 is not there, the other 1 fills in," he said. Several commissioners responded that workload variability makes one full‑time position plus part‑time deputies more appropriate for the current budget climate. "I think that's the best way to go, personally," Commissioner Haswell said, referring to a model of one full‑time and two part‑time positions. Commissioner Settle warned against a part‑time system that could pay more than a full‑time salary when overtime and field rates are accounted for: "If your part time is doing more hours than your full time and making more money, there's no purpose to being full time."

Dr. Byrd said he would revise his personnel proposal and work with human resources to re‑sculpt the request if commissioners prefer the one full‑time/two part‑time model. He also noted the office still lacks an X‑ray unit and that autopsy capability exists in the facility, but the county lacks a locally based pathologist. "We can always go up and go" to the medical examiner's office in Billings when needed, he added.

No formal motion or vote was taken on the coroner budget during the session. Commissioners directed Dr. Byrd to rework his submission to reflect the staffing model the board prefers and to meet with HR and budget staff to finalize numbers before the county's budget deadlines.

Practical details discussed during the session included: the coroner's temporary/on‑call wage pool (about $22,400 on the current worksheet), requests to reduce certain requested line items for consideration, and the need to track and certify timecards to avoid paying field‑rate hours that would exceed salaried costs. Dr. Byrd said the office has three deputies and several on‑call assistants and that actual on‑call demand is unpredictable: "We've gone a week, 2 weeks with nothing. And then all of a sudden, you know, we get hit."