Members of the study commission provided brief working-group updates Jan. 5. The coroner group reported limited progress due to holidays and said it will reach out to Mr. Parrish, local funeral directors and Sheriff Jeff Williams to clarify coroner qualifications and whether the position would be sheriff-affiliated.

The fire working group reported a productive meeting and plans to schedule discussions with volunteer chiefs and Chief Osborne; the group is deciding whether to include union leadership in the same conversations or meet separately. The group also plans to consult County Attorney Enruth to identify the ordinance language required to meet the recommendations.

The commission set the schedule for finalizing the preliminary report: Jan. 26 is the last meeting to resolve these items, the chair said the group hopes to finish the report that Friday, and the commission would affirm the preliminary report on Feb. 9 after a review week beginning Feb. 2.