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Agency official urges consolidating deputy coverage, cites rising out-of-county autopsy costs
Summary
An agency official proposed combining two deputy line items into one paid deputy who has handled most weekend calls, and recommended keeping a $1,500 service-contract for transport; officials said out-of-county autopsies now cost roughly $2,800 and pathologist fees about $2,100.
An agency official told the committee the office has effectively been covered by a single deputy who has taken weekend calls and transport duties, and asked the county to consolidate two deputy line items so that person can be compensated.
"He's been taking calls every other weekend," the agency official said, describing the deputy's workload and the value of on-the-job experience. The official said the office is proposing to keep a $1,500 service-contract line in the budget to pay EMTs or other on-call help for autopsy body transport when needed and suggested a modest stipend ("we're thinking about, like, giving them $200") to offset long drives.
The presenter and others discussed cost pressures: members noted that out-of-county autopsies have climbed in price (one figure mentioned was about $2,800 per autopsy) and that pathologist fees have increased (a figure of roughly $2,100 was cited). Committee members said that, where families request an autopsy for unusual deaths, the family may bear the expense if the county does not order one.
Committee members did not take a recorded vote in the available transcript; staff were asked to carry the proposal forward for the formal budget process and verify precise line-item effects.
The committee scheduled additional review in the next finance meeting; no final appropriation was recorded in the transcript.
