Title

AN ORDINANCE relating to fees charged by the medical examiner's office; and amending Ordinance 17733, Section 16, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.650.150.

Body

STATEMENT OF FACTS:

1.  In November 2007, Ordinance 15952 prohibited cremation of the body of a decedent who died in the county without first reporting the death to the medical examiner's office and receiving an authorization from the medical examiner releasing the body for disposition.  In addition, the ordinance established a fifty dollar disposition authorization fee.

2.  In November 2013, Ordinance 17692 increased the disposition authorization fee to sixty dollars.

3.  In November 2016, Ordinance 18388 increased the disposition authorization fee to seventy dollars.

4.  Total deaths in the county have increased by seventeen percent from 14,991 in 2017 to 17,470 in 2022.  Over the same period, cases that are investigated by the medical examiner's office have increased sixty-two percent, from 2,436 cases in 2017 to 3,955 cases in 2022.  Moreover, in 2024, the medical examiner's office is on track to see an additional twelve percent increase in cases.

5.  In October 2023, the executive transmitted Proposed Ordinance 2023-0355, the 2023-2024 midbiennium supplemental appropriations ordinance, which included a $445,764 proposed appropriation to the medical examiner's office budget to support 3.0 FTEs to expand capacity to the medical examiner's office.  The proposed appropriation would be supported by a proposed thirty dollar increase to the disposition authorization fee.

                     BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KING COUNTY:

                     SECTION 1.  Ordinance 17733, Section 16, as amended, and K.C.C. 4A.650.150 are hereby amended to read as follows:

                     A person reporting a death to the medical examiner's office of a person whose

remains are to be buried, cremated, or otherwise disposed of under K.C.C 2.35A.100, shall be charged a fee of ((seventy)) one hundred dollars.