Yavapai County supervisors Tuesday reclassified two positions in the Medical Examiner's office as medico-legal death investigators.
County Administrator Julie Ayers told the board the change would "fulfill the obligation of the Medical Examiner's office as was intended under state statute while minimizing unnecessary intrusion into the grieving process of family and friends."
Previously, she said, all cases falling under the medical examiner's jurisdiction came to the ME's office. Families thus endured a delay even though only about one-half of those cases received an external examination because foul play was not a factor.
"The death investigators are trained to examine a body and determine whether it would need an autopsy," Ayers said. "By having staff trained to make that determination in the field, it would save a lot of time and the cost of transporting a body to the morgue, having the ME determine an autopsy is unnecessary, and then having to re-transport it to a funeral home."
Ayers estimates that under the change, about 100 cases annually won't need an external examination or autopsy.
Currently, she said, the county does not have a full-time medical examiner. Instead, the county has agreements with a consortium of doctors from Maricopa County for ME services. Ayers said that re-designating the positions would not add any costs to the budget, and that the second employee is qualified for medico-legal death investigator certification.
In a related matter, the board approved an amended histology agreement with the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office with the county attorney to work out some final changes.
Ayers said the county is having histology tests done at the MCME's office because the county believes it is better to outsource this work.
In other action, the board:
• Upheld the hearing officer's decision that Chris and Dietra Cave violated a zoning ordinance by building a home without permits near Ash Fork. The Caves appealed the violation order and presented their case to the board at an August meeting.
During that meeting, the board rescheduled the hearing because of an incorrect date on a photograph of the property.
Chris Cave said he and his wife will appeal the board's decision to Superior Court.
• Approved transferring as much as $3,000 to Development Services to print an informational brochure for homeowners on how to operate and care for their septic system. Supervisors and the Arizona Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association's Homeowners Education Committee at its meetings will hand out these brochures. The county also will give homeowners a brochure when they pick up a septic system permit.
• Approved changing public notification zone for properties one acre or larger from 300 feet to 1,000 feet, and keep 300 feet for parcels of less than one acre. This was a recommendation from the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Commission.
• Approved two open space subdivision development ordinances. The ordinances offer voluntary options for developers and would apply to a maximum of 640-acre parcels.
The ordinance would encourage developers to cluster homes on smaller lots by letting them build more homes through open space incentives. Development Services Director Chad Daines said it would be a tool to discourage lot splits and wildcat subdivisions.
