Mills County flags multi-hour waits and roughly $27,000 in body-removal costs; officials to seek alternatives

County staff told Mills County supervisors that the county has relied on two providers for body removal and autopsies, creating operational pressure when multiple removals overlap and leading the county to spend roughly $27,000 on removals and autopsies in recent instances.

A supervisor said the county’s fire chief reported an incident where a crew waited about two-and-a-half hours for a removal because the primary providers were engaged or unavailable. Staff noted that some deaths that are suspicious or involve law enforcement must be routed to specific jurisdictions for autopsy, which can add travel and administrative costs.

The board asked staff to investigate alternative vendors and cost structures to reduce wait times and county expenditures. No formal procurement decision was made at the meeting; staff said they will continue researching options and return with cost estimates and vendor proposals if available.

The discussion highlighted capacity constraints that affect emergency responders and raised questions about whether additional local contracts could reduce delays and expense.