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Champaign County coroner warns autopsy services underfunded, requests staff to attract pathologist
Summary
Coroner Laurie told the county board that professional services and staffing in the coroner—s office are underfunded: her office is five staffers short of its internal benchmark, unpaid autopsy bills remain, and she asked for eight additional positions and modest facility upgrades to attract a full-time pathologist.
Champaign County Coroner Laurie told the county board on Aug. 21 that her office is operating with five full-time staff and is short of the 12 positions she and administration identified as necessary to meet caseload needs. "I put in the budget amendment in May. It didn't get approved till last week. Still haven't been able to pay my July bills for autopsies," Laurie said, describing a lag in funding for professional services.
The coroner said two funding areas require correction: professional services (autopsies, histology, x-rays and unclaimed cremations) and staffing. She said the professional services line was underfunded for 2025 and that unclaimed cremations have reached 12 so far this year. "I really feel strongly that that needs to be fixed so that the community knows exactly how much that we need for this," she said.
Laurie asked for eight additional positions — seven investigators and one autopsy assistant — to bring the office toward what she called a reasonable staffing level for comparable counties. She explained that hiring an autopsy assistant is a prerequisite for attracting a full-time pathologist: candidates have cited the need for a functional autopsy suite and on-site support. Board members noted $160,000 budgeted for out-of-county autopsies is insufficient when an autopsy can cost about $2,000 each.
Board members and administration discussed modest facility fixes — removing wooden cabinetry, installing metal shelving, and replacing flooring — that Laurie and recruiters said would improve recruiting prospects and the safety of autopsy work. Administration confirmed $30,000 had been appropriated earlier toward such renovations but that delays followed the departure of a facilities director.
Travis (administration) also explained the coroner statutory fee fund, paid primarily by cremation fees, which may be used only for items authorized by statute. He said unspent statutory fee funds roll into fund balance and can be spent later if they meet statutory criteria.
No formal vote on the coroner—s requests occurred at the meeting; the presentation concluded with the board asking for more detail on cost estimates and recruiting timelines.
