Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Medical Examiner topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Medical Examiner reports staffing stabilization, lower expenses and $174,314 in recovered out‑of‑county billing
Summary
Medical Examiner Alex (Speaker 9) told the Board the office projects a small revenue dip and expense reduction, is nearly fully staffed after a restructuring, completed more than 2,100 death investigations in 2025 and recovered $174,314 in previously unbilled out‑of‑county revenue.
Alex, Polk County's medical examiner (Speaker 9), presented the office's budget and staffing status, saying the department has reduced expenses and stabilized personnel while recovering previously unbilled revenue.
Alex said the office projects a slight revenue decrease to about $440,000 and an expense reduction of roughly $71,000 compared with the prior fiscal year while meeting the county's 1% resource‑allocation reduction goal. She explained some savings came from a reduction in medical and health services costs after IOSME assumed certain lab work and from elimination of a prior severance appropriation.
Alex reported the office completed more than 2,100 death investigations in 2025 and certified 588 deaths. She said the department recovered $174,314 in previously unbilled out‑of‑county services after updating billing practices for cases where Polk County performed services for other jurisdictions.
On staffing, Alex said turnover has improved following a 2024 restructuring and that the office is close to full staffing; she said several recent hires performed well in training and that one medical‑legal death investigator posting had attracted 26 applicants.
County Administrator recommended approving the Medical Examiner's base target as presented and praised Alex's work on stabilizing operations. The Board did not record a formal vote in the transcript during this presentation.
