Wednesday, August 25, 2004
The county coroner said he could charge for cremation certificates.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Lawrence County's maintenance department will do without a few extra supplies and equipment this year to help the county meet year-end expenses.
Frank Piccari, county maintenance director, met with county commissioners and agreed to give back $10,800 from his $660,000 budget to help the county curb its projected $1.3 million deficit.
The meeting with Piccari was the first of many planned over the next few weeks with elected officials and department heads to look for ways to save money.
Piccari also agreed to look into buying cleaning supplies in bulk for the county government center and the county jail to see if money can be saved.
"We need you to keep looking. I would encourage you to sit with your staff and ask them for ideas for cost savings or revenue enhancements," Commissioner Dan Vogler said to Piccari during the Tuesday morning meeting.
Though commissioners found success cutting the maintenance budget, they realized little can be done with the county coroner's budget.
Coroner Russell Noga said he has had more autopsies than expected this year and more are expected.
Here are the numbers
In addition to the unusual or unexplained deaths that require autopsies, there also have been a higher number of drug deaths this year, all requiring autopsies, he said. There have been about 17 drug deaths so far this year. Last year, there were seven.
The average autopsy costs $1,100, he said. Noga said his autopsy budget will be depleted soon and he has asked for a $65,000 transfer from the county contingency fund to get through the end of the year.
Vogler said commissioners prefer to make transfers on an as-needed basis to the coroner's office and hope they don't add up to $65,000.
Noga said his office does have the opportunity to start charging $25 for cremation certificates, but the money must be used for office equipment. He said he and his deputy coroners need protective gear when they go to fire scenes or are working in cold or wet weather.
Commissioners instructed Noga to get the details and they would consider a resolution allowing him to charge for cremation certificates.
The next round of budget meetings is scheduled for Monday and include the courts and the jail, sheriff and voter registration offices.
cioffi@vindy.com