Coroner warns of rising autopsy costs, council approves $83,000 in additional appropriations

The Cass County coroner told the council that the office has seen a notable year-over-year rise in deaths and autopsy workload and requested additional appropriations to cover autopsy fees and related costs.

The coroner said the county recorded about 105 deaths the prior year and is at 110 year-to-date with six weeks remaining; autopsies increased from 17 last year to about 20 so far this year. He said the pathologist the county uses raised service fees from $1,800 to $2,200 per autopsy, and transport and required deputy attendance add additional expense. "If we took them to Fort Wayne they'd charge $3,000 for an autopsy," he said, noting transport and deputy costs would add at least another $600–$800 per case.

To avoid rolling autopsy bills into the next fiscal year, the coroner requested two additional appropriations that together total $83,000. Council members questioned the arithmetic and account lines before approving the combined request by voice vote.

The coroner said he had recalculated expected autopsy counts to the end of the year and did not expect to spend the full amount but wanted to avoid the funding shortfall experienced previously. Council approved the requested appropriations and staff will adjust the county's budget and accounting entries accordingly.