By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — One of the questions members of the Kosciusko County Council had for the coroner Thursday, Aug. 31, during the second day of budget hearings was when an autopsy was required.

While presenting his 2024 proposed budget, County Coroner Tyler Huffer mentioned that the cost of supplies, including body bags, has gone up.

“Next on the line item, we have X-rays, lab and expenses for autopsies at $90,000 this year. We are already at 27 autopsies for the year at the end of July,” Huffer said.

Councilman and former coroner Tony Ciriello asked him if he was coming back before the council in September for a $25,000 additional appropriation, and Huffer said that was correct.

Kimberly Cates, councilwoman, said Huffer has already spent $56,952 this year and asked him if he was raising the budget line item enough for 2024. Huffer said he thought so or it was pretty close to what he will need.

Council President Mike Long asked Huffer if there was a reason for the increase in autopsies.

“We have had an increase in overdoses, we’ve had an increase in autopsies as well,” Huffer responded.

Councilwoman Joni Truex asked Huffer when was an autopsy required. Huffer said when he or the deputy coroner determines there needs to be one, if they suspect anything suspicious. On overdoses, he said they work with the prosecutor’s office on those.

A few minutes later, Councilman Dave Wolkins asked Huffer to expand his explanation on when an autopsy is performed and if it has to be foul play or something.

“Foul play. If the prosecutor can charge a dealer that was dealing in drugs and they need everything that they need. An autopsy explains why it happened, if there was a death and so there would have to be a dealer who was dealing the drugs,” Huffer said. “We’ve had a significant amount of overdoses this year, and they needed to have the autopsy report to then charge the person and get them in jail.”

Ciriello stated, “Dave, autopsies are done when there’s a sudden or unexpected death, somebody’s apparently in good health, drug overdose cases, criminal cases, a child less than 3 years of age, a person in custody by law enforcement or placed somewhere by the state. Those are when autopsies are required to be performed.”

Councilwoman Kathleen Groninger asked if a person just requested an autopsies if they would have to pay for that. Huffer said they could.

Mark Skibowski then presented the proposed 2024 budget for the Kosciusko County Convention and Recreation Visitors Commission, of which he’s a member.

It had only three categories and a total dollar figure. The biggest line item is the Convention and Visitors Bureau at $510,000; followed by $360,000 for grants to nonprofits and $15,000 for administration. The total budget is $885,000, all funded by the innkeepers tax.

“We try to put some math to how we do the allocation of the budget. The CVB is our single largest,” Skibowski said, with about 60% of the budget going to the CVB. “It is a significant increase this year. We had the Covid year where we held back and were a little hesitant to release funds. But receipts increased dramatically, so rather than us just sit down and hold it, we’re trying to pass it on to the agency that does the marketing and things like that.”

He said they trust that the CVB is managing its resources wisely and the KCCRVC and CVB work pretty closely together to set up their budget.

Councilwoman Sue Ann Mitchell told him, “I just want to say thank you so much because your organization functions very well. You’re doing a great job of getting money out to those who need it.”

Wolkins asked if all the hotels and motels are current on the innkeepers tax as in years past there were issues in collecting that from them.

Skibowski said they are.

He also told the council that if folks are looking for grant funds that relate to the Visitors Commission and Bureau, “Please come and ask. Please come and ask. We want to spend those dollars within the community. That’s the purpose.”

The council also heard from the treasurer’s office, who had no increases from the previous year; Superior Courts II and III, with no real changes except an increase in pauper counsel; the assessor’s office; the recorder’s office; emergency management; Circuit and Superior Courts I and IV; veteran service officer, redevelopment; Purdue Extension Office; and the auditor’s office.

In general discussion, Mitchell said the prosecutor’s office is requesting two new legal secretaries for 2024 and the clerk’s office reduced its staff by two through efficiencies and some of the clerk’s office work is now being handled through the prosecutor’s office.

“If she’s giving up two, perhaps it might be fair to give him the two that she’s giving up. That’s a trade-off for the additional work that office is having to do,” she said.

Cates said the prosecutor’s office hasn’t had any additional support staff in 11 years and that was huge.

Mitchell also brought up the fact that two women are retiring from the Kosciusko County Highway Department in March 2025. She said they talked about giving the department some money in 2024 and some in 2025 so they could hire someone in 2024 to begin training to take over when the two women retire in 2025.

She said her comments were considerations from the wage committee for the council to think about. There will be one more wage committee meeting before the council has to make any final decisions.