The Marion County Board of Commissioners meets Wednesday to consider approving a contract with a Portland-based mortuary service to take county residents whose deaths are being investigated by a medical examiner.
The proposed contract would come with no cost to the county, directing funeral homes to pay Synergy First Call Mortuary, Inc. to take people from the location of their death to either a medical legal death investigator storage facility or a funeral home, according to the agenda.
Medical examiners investigate “unattended, unusual, or traumatic” deaths, the agenda item said.
The county estimated that Synergy would be paid around $175,000 per year under the contract.
Commissioners will also hear a presentation from the Strategic Economic Development Corporation, also known as SEDCOR, presenting a report on its work over the past quarter.
The county entered a $800,000 contract with SEDCOR in 2018, which allocated $160,000 each fiscal year for business recruitment, retention and expansion services, according to the agenda. The contract is set to expire at the end of Junee.
The board will consider a proclamation designating May 2023 as Older Americans Month in Marion County.
They will also consider a proclamation declaring May 7-13 as National Corrections Professionals Week, and May 6-12 as Nurses Appreciation Week in Marion County.
Meeting details: The commissioners meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Senator Hearing Room at 555 Court Street N.E. Anyone can sign up to give public comment in-person at the meeting. The meeting is streamed live on YouTube.
Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.
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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.
