Funeral‑home owners tell Madison County supervisors payment process is delaying collections; board agrees to review application

Representatives of local funeral homes urged the Madison County Board of Supervisors to streamline the county’s general‑assistance process so funeral providers can be paid more reliably.

Tom Collins, speaking for several funeral‑service stakeholders, said the current application flow requires families to complete steps that are sometimes not finished, leaving funeral homes unpaid after providing direct‑cremation or other low‑cost services. "We've had about 3 issues that we haven't been paid for," Collins told the board, and said staff told him some clients had been approved but had not completed a follow‑up step that would trigger payment to providers.

Mark Parrish, identified as the principal owner of a local funeral business, and Alex Wright joined Collins in asking the county to review the application and administrative steps. They said surrounding counties use simpler forms and processes; board members asked to see examples and suggested working with Matura and Ventura (county contractor) staff to revise the application mechanics.

Board members discussed ordinance limits and exceptions for assistance (the ordinance allows limited exceptions but caps assistance historically around $1,500 annually for the program). Supervisors agreed to ask Matura/Ventura to meet with funeral providers to propose tweaks to the application and to consider whether an ordinance amendment or an exception process is required to address the problem.

Supervisor Heather said she would raise the issue at Matura’s meeting and have staff help draft proposed revisions for the board’s review. The funeral‑home representatives said they would cooperate in testing a streamlined application process intended to reduce missed payments.