County Autopsy Fund Running Low

SIGOURNEY – During the Feb. 11 meeting of the Keokuk County Board of Supervisors, County Auditor Christy Bates informed the supervisors that the county autopsy fund is running low. The county set aside $48,000 at the start of fiscal year 2024, which began in July of last year, to be used for autopsies. State regulations mandate that autopsies be performed whenever a death occurs outside of a doctor’s supervision. For reasons Bates was unsure of, the past seven months have brought an unusually high number of deaths outside of hospitals, leaving only $4,000 left in the autopsy fund. Supervisor Derek Wood questioned why taxpayers are “burdened” with the costs of autopsies, given the fact that a large percent of the autopsies are elderly people who pass away in their sleep. Wood noted that the county will have to budget more autopsy money next year, something that the county can’t tax for due to state limits on tax growth.

This led to a wider discussion on taxes, with Wood bringing up that Governor Kim Reynolds has promised raises for teachers, but only offered to give extra state money for those raises for a single year. Wood stated that schools want to give raises, but can’t afford them for the following years. Supervisor Hadley brought up the Back the Blue Act, which gave raises to law enforcement, as another example of the state forcing counties to spend more money while not allowing them to raise taxes. Wood pointed out that counties must meet minimum quality standards for roads to receive state and federal funds, which becomes difficult as budgets grow tight.

Wood stated he had talked to a state senator about this and that the senator brushed him off, treating it like a joke, which angered Wood. Hadley stated that he doesn’t understand why people do not equate taxes with services. Wood stated that, as a taxpayer, he’s thrilled about lowered taxes, but does not think the current tax laws can work long term. Hadley brought up the high national debt, stating that the country is on an unsustainable path and that he worries for his grandchildren.