Statement by the Prowers County Board of County Commissioners in response to the lawsuit with the Coroner

The Prowers County Board of County Commissioners (“Commissioners”) filed suit against the Coroner for an unbudgeted and unauthorized charge to his Prowers County credit card. The Commissioners have budgetary authority under state law. After discussions with the Commissioners, they determined that the charge was for alleged defamation and was a personal matter against a sitting Commissioner at that time. Personal matters are not covered by County funds. The Coroner then sued the Commissioners for this personal matter through a counterclaim.

After many attempts to resolve this matter amicably through mediation and negotiation with the Coroner, the Commissioners decided to ask the court to have the lawsuit dismissed in the interest of not spending more taxpayer money on the lawsuit. The Coroner also asked the court to have his counterclaim dismissed. Prowers County did not pay any of the Coroner’s legal fees or costs for the lawsuits.

The Commissioners have attempted to work with the Coroner. The Coroner’s budget for 2022, when he was sworn in was $92,819. The Commissioners have increased the Coroner’s budget to $117,566 which is more than a 25% increase, and includes a vehicle for transport of the bodies for autopsies. A cooler to store bodies was not included in the Coroner’s budget, nor was storage space for a cooler, and the Coroner stated during budget discussions that he would not use the existing cooler to store bodies.

The Commissioners encourage the Coroner to continue to develop and maintain relationships with the local funeral homes, as has been the practice for decades, in the best interest of the people of Prowers County. The Commissioners remain committed to being fiscally responsible to the taxpayers and working with all elected officials in Prowers County.