Franklin County looks ro lower the cost of burials of unclaimed bodies

County commissioners this week opened bids from local funeral homes to see if they could lower the county’s cost of processing and burying unclaimed bodies.

Whenever a person dies and no friends or family claim the body, it becomes the responsibility of the county to handle the burial.

The issue doesn’t come up very often, but now that there is a nursing home facility at St. James it is happening more than it used to.

The cost for one of these burials is 825 dollars, the county asked for bids to see if they could bring the price down, but that didn’t happen.

Only one company bid – that was Kelly’s Funeral home – the same company the county works with now.

And its bid was remains 825 dollars per burial.

The bid has been given to a committee for consideration with a final decision expected next meeting.

Commissioners said they will also look at the possibility of cremation which may be less expensive, though county attorney Michael Shuler said there may be other issues with cremation that the county will have to consider.

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