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La Porte County makes coroner's chief deputy full-time amid FLSA concerns; coroner warns of new synthetic opioid
Summary
The La Porte County Council voted 4-3 to convert the coroner's first-deputy role to full time through the end of the year to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act. Coroner Lynn Swanson also reported a confirmed death involving a previously rare synthetic opioid.
The La Porte County Council voted 4-3 on April 27 to convert the coroner's first-deputy position to full time and to adjust the salary ordinance and funding to cover the prorated cost for the remainder of 2026.
The change stems from a concern that the office's existing staffing and pay arrangements leave the county out of compliance with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Coroner Lynn Swanson told the council the current first deputy performs chief-deputy duties, including in-field training and scheduling, and that other part-time deputies are not qualified or willing to assume those responsibilities without substantial training. "None of them qualified to be a chief deputy," Swanson said, describing the time (six to eight months) it takes to train a deputy.
Why it matters: County staff and the county attorney warned that simply adding a second, part-time first deputy would not resolve the FLSA issue. County attorney Guy de Martino advised the council that making the current first-deputy…
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