Adams County committee approves purchase of replacement medical examiner cooler

The Adams County Property and Recreation Commission voted to purchase a replacement medical examiner cooler after members raised concerns about reliability and chain-of-custody for criminal and suspicious cases.

The item came to the committee because the cooler was not specifically listed in the 2026 budget. Kyle, the department staff who prepared the project paperwork, said the county budgeted $2,300,000 for the building project and that project costs came in at about $1,500,000, leaving roughly $800,000 in reserve that could cover unplanned needs. "For the 2026 budget, we did have $2,300,000 budget for the building project. Building project came in at about $1,500,000, which left a reserve about $800,000," Kyle said.

The presenter representing the medical examiner's office told commissioners the current cooler is unreliable and has caused problems while the office pursued replacement. "We're still trying to replace the current medical examiner's cooler, which is unreliable and has caused a few problems," the presenter said, and said there have been at least three failures in the last six months while attempting replacement.

Commissioners debated repair versus replacement. Bill from maintenance said an evaluation of the existing unit would determine whether components could be replaced, but cautioned older models may no longer have serviceable parts. He also described advantages of the proposed rolling cooler, including a design that allows a cot to roll in and an extra shelf for another decedent, which reduces manual lifting. "This one actually has a space where you can actually roll the cot in so that people aren't having to lift," Bill said.

Cynthia noted the office provided two letters of recommendation—one from the district attorney’s office and one from Jake Roseberry—and said purchasing now could avoid higher costs later. She also said county planners expect a future Health and Human Services addition that "will require almost $20,000,000 of debt" and that the cooler could be installed in that building if the project proceeds.

Jay moved to purchase the cooler, citing chain-of-custody and preservation concerns for investigative cases; the motion was seconded by Carla. The committee voted in favor and the chair announced the motion carried.

The chair asked staff to evaluate whether the existing cooler could be salvaged by replacing major components, and Bill said staff would perform that assessment. The committee did not provide a detailed recorded roll-call vote in the meeting transcript; the motion passed by voice vote. The committee expected to incorporate the new unit into future facility plans if and when the Health and Human Services building proceeds.

Next steps: staff will perform a repairability assessment of the existing cooler, the county will proceed with procurement for a replacement unit as approved, and the committee will carry the equipment purchase forward into project planning for any new Health and Human Services facility.