Webster County funeral director asks county to raise direct cremation and transport fees

Rob Gunderson, owner of Gunderson Funeral Home, asked Webster County commissioners during a budget workshop to increase the county-paid direct cremation rate and raise the fee the county pays for medical-examiner transport.

Gunderson told the meeting the county currently pays $800 for direct cremation and that “it’s been that price for probably a good 10 years or better.” He said rising costs and the round-the-clock nature of funeral work justify an increase and asked the county to raise the reimbursement to $1,500. “With the cost of everything going up over the last 10 years ... we’re asking for an increase to 1,500,” Gunderson said.

Gunderson also said his firm provides transportation for Webster County to the state medical examiner in Ankeny and that the county currently pays $300 per trip. In the transcript he requested an increase and the wording recorded was “to $4.50.” Meeting participants discussed whether that figure meant per leg or round trip and whether the correct intended amount was higher; the workshop record is internally inconsistent on the precise numeric form and the county will need to confirm the intended dollar amount before any budget change.

Gunderson compared neighboring counties’ rates, saying Humboldt County’s county-paid rate is about $1,500–$1,800 and Kossuth County’s is about $2,000, and he noted that some local firms that own their own crematories have lower internal costs than firms that pay third-party crematories. He said families seeking county help complete a form and county staff review assets before approving payment.

County staff asked Gunderson to provide counts of how many county claims his firm has filed over the past three years; Gunderson offered to compile that data and email an average to staff to help inform the budget decision. No vote or formal action on fee increases was taken at the workshop.

Next steps: Gunderson will supply historical claim counts to county staff and the county will verify the intended per-trip transport amount and consider any adjustment during the formal budget process.