Commissioners discuss changes to Pottawatomie County's deceased indigent policy
The Pottawatomie County Board of County Commissioners discussed changes to the county's deceased indigent policy during their regular meeting Monday.
According to District 2 Commissioner Randy Thomas, under this policy the county is responsible for the cremation or open and closure of a grave of a citizen who dies and is either unidentified or whose family doesn't have the means to afford cremation or burial services.
Thomas said there has been an uptick in indigent deceased applications in the last few months.
"We've been getting a lot of questionable applications — like they've caught on to the fact that if you say you don't have any money the county will bury you," Thomas said. "So we need to get a little more stringent on our policy."
During their meeting Monday, Thomas said commissioners decided to implement a more secure application process.
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When applying for this service, applicants will need to provide evidence that they are actually unable to pay for the service themselves, he said.
"(We'll look at) bank accounts, real properties and what type of assets you have in your name," Thomas said.
In addition to strengthening the application process, commissioners are also planning to work with a new cremation company that provides the service for $450 per cremation.
The county's indigent policy also applies to those who are found dead and unidentified or unclaimed, which Thomas said are typically the homeless.
On average, he said the county funds cremations for about 20 people in a year and very rarely open and close a grave.
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A majority of the time, he said people are cremated and once completed, the county notifies the next of kin so they can take the remains of their loved ones.
Funding for indigent services comes from the county's general fund budget.
"When we do our budget at the end of the year we just set $15,000 aside for the indigent and burial fund," Thomas said.
Thomas said commissioners are expected to take action on the policy with the changes during their next meeting Monday, Jan. 31.
Once it receives final approval from the commissioners, the policy will go into effect and Thomas said hospitals and health care facilities will be notified.
Watch for updates.
This article originally appeared on The Shawnee News-Star: Pottawatomie County Board of County Commissioners talk indigent policy
