Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Coroner reports higher share of non‑natural deaths, wins pay adjustment for deputy autopsy role
Summary
The county coroner reported a rise in the proportion of non‑natural deaths and an increase in autopsy volume. The board approved a requested SOC/pay adjustment for a deputy autopsy/operations position; the transcript contains inconsistent employee name references (see text).
The coroner told commissioners that through the first three fiscal quarters the office had been contacted about 130 incidents and accepted 117 cases, and that non‑natural deaths accounted for roughly 43 percent of the caseload — an increase compared with 2024. The coroner said accidental deaths and drug/alcohol involvement drove much of the non‑natural caseload and provided breakdowns by cause (examples cited: accidental motor‑vehicle deaths, falls, drug/alcohol toxicity and asphyxia).
The office reported 30 autopsies for Fremont County cases and an expanded out‑of‑county autopsy workload, producing approximately $77,000 in revenue so far this year. The coroner described partnerships and pending grants: a Wyoming Department of Health/CDC toxicology grant that would pay NMS Labs testing costs for suspected overdoses (estimated savings of about $20,000) and a potential RTI International Bureau of Justice Assistance grant to cover forensic processing, DNA analysis and case‑digitization if the award is granted.
On personnel, the coroner asked the board to approve an SOC/classification adjustment to increase pay for the deputy operations/autopsy technician position from $48,300 to $52,000 (an annual increase of $3,700). The motion to approve the SOC adjustment was moved and seconded and passed by voice vote.
Transcript note: the coroner’s presentation consistently references a deputy ops/autopsy technician named "Kirsten Kenny" (job title and SOC justification are described for that person), but the recorded motion text later refers to "Richard Kenny." The record does not resolve which name is correct; the board approved the pay change as described in the motion language.
What happens next: if the county implements the approved SOC adjustment it will appear in payroll and budget documents; the coroner also awaits an attorney‑general opinion before rolling out the Department of Health toxicology process.
