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Board discusses medical examiner staffing, training and moving ME supplies to EMS building
Summary
Supervisors reviewed proposals to move medical examiner equipment to the EMS building for better access, discussed adding two MEIs, and heard about state training options that would cut travel and class costs.
Chickasaw County supervisors discussed medical examiner (ME) operations on Nov. 20, focusing on storage, staffing and training needs.
Speaker 2 and Speaker 3 described shifting ME inventory and equipment from the sheriff’s basement to the EMS building to enable faster, off-hour access by first responders. Speaker 3 said the EMS building has shelving and storage capacity and that the proposed change would reduce delays when supplies are needed for night calls.
Board members reviewed MEI callout patterns and staffing: several MEIs currently respond with varying availability. Speaker 3 recommended adding two MEIs — one already certified and one with a forensic-science background — saying the hires would reduce the need to call other counties for investigations and could be cost-neutral when factoring current callout payments and vendor charges.
Speaker 3 also noted a training opportunity at the Iowa state medical lab that would provide tailored, low-cost instruction; the state lab would provide education at no class fee and costs would be limited to lodging. The board discussed revising job descriptions to reflect state-code exemptions and to allow posting if the board approves recruitment.
Speakers clarified compensation mechanics for ME work (county pays per-call stipends and vendors are paid via claims) and reported the ME budget at $45,600 with expenditures running a few thousand dollars monthly. Supervisors requested a written job-description revision and additional detail on budget impacts before any hiring decision.
