COEUR d’ALENE — Kootenai County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to approve up to $1.7 million for renovations to the coroner’s office that will include an autopsy lab.

“I think the need is here and we have to get this done,” said Commissioner Leslie Duncan. 

The project has been in the works since 2023, but took on a new urgency last week, when Kootenai County Coroner Duke Johnson informed commissioners of the abrupt decision by the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office to terminate the contract between the two entities for medical examiner services. 

Like most counties in Idaho, Kootenai County has no medical examiner on staff and no autopsy facilities. Until recently, the coroner's office contracted with Spokane County for these services, sending about 70 cases to Spokane each year at a cost of about $2,000 per autopsy. 

In a Dec. 15 email to Johnson, Spokane County Medical Examiner Dr. Veena Singh alleged that a deputy coroner in Kootenai County has been working with a disgruntled former employee of her office to “destabilize” its operations. 

Johnson said the allegation is untrue. 

The $1.7 million approved by commissioners is the maximum amount the county will pay for the renovations. The figure is about $312,000 more than the county had hoped to spend, officials said Tuesday, with the higher cost driven by necessities including an isolation cooler and a robust ventilation system. 

“The HVAC needs to be more substantial and beefier than we had initially established because we’re trying to get the smell out,” Facilities Director Jeff Voeller said. “It needs to be a higher-end system and I don’t think we really factored that into those initial costs.” 

Some of the funds will go toward converting a kitchen in the Dalton Gardens coroner’s office into a makeshift autopsy lab where a medical examiner can perform autopsies on a contract basis. 

The space would not be affected by ongoing renovations elsewhere in the facility. 

“All it needs is a sink, ventilation and lighting,” Johnson told commissioners. “We could be pretty operable through this whole process.” 

When renovations are complete, Johnson said Kootenai County won’t have to rely on larger counties for medical examiner services. He said other counties in North Idaho may also choose to contract with Kootenai County for medical examiner services, generating revenue. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if, outside North Idaho, others will, as well,” he said.