The county needs to establish a policy for handling the remains of those deemed as paupers, Lowndes County Coroner Greg Merchant told the Board of Supervisors on Thursday.
Merchant has had custody of a 72-year-old woman’s body for 60 days, he said. She has one family member, who cannot afford to bury her. Neither owns property in the county. Merchant asked for permission to contact a crematorium to handle her remains.
Board President and District 1 Supervisor Harry Sanders asked if the woman had a Social Security death benefit for burial; Merchant said she did not.
The board has in effect a policy to pay no more than $500 to handle the remains of paupers, Merchant noted, asking to be allowed to spend up to that amount for the woman’s body.
The coroner suggested the county draft a specific definition of who qualifies as a pauper. He said he gets requests weekly from families who are asking for financial help to bury their loved ones.
“We can’t do that if they own anything at all,” Sanders said, adding that a car or TV set could be sold to pay funeral expenses.
“We don’t want to get in the funeral business,” Merchant said. He also said he doesn’t want to be the one determining who does or does not qualify as a pauper.
District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks said the county used to have a policy that the county would provide $50 and the cost of digging a grave for someone deemed a pauper. He supported drafting a more specific policy when the new board convenes next month.
Merchant said the county provided grave-digging services Monday for a body that he had custody of for nine months.
“Cremation is going to be more economical for the county,” he said.
Supervisors agreed to pay for cremation of the woman’s remains, and Sanders asked Merchant to bring a draft policy to the board’s first meeting in January.
Merchant said this is the third body the county has buried during his eight years.
In other business, the board:
- Approved County Road Manager Ronnie Burns’ request to buy and install five, 30-by-80-foot sheds at each of the county’s equipment barns. They will park equipment and trucks under them, which will reduce the amount of time it takes equipment to get on the road in adverse conditions. It takes employees up to 30 minutes to de-ice windshields, he said.
- Convened a 10-minute executive session to discuss a legal matter involving an employee. Members took no action upon returning to open session.
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