Forensic Lab Will Place Significant Burden on Bannock County Taxpayers

Forensic Lab Will Place Significant Burden on Bannock County Taxpayers

By:  John Crowder, Bannock County Commissioner, District 3

Winning the lottery seems like the dream of a lifetime…at first.  For many, though, the dream turns into a nightmare.  It’s not hard to find stories of those who won huge windfalls only to lose it all…and then some.  Instead of using winnings to repair what they already own and to reduce expenses, winners often go on a spending spree.  They purchase homes, cars, jewelry and luxuries that they don’t need, only to find out that they can’t maintain them.

Local government decision makers, unfortunately, all too often act like the hapless lottery winner after receiving unanticipated federal monies.  They spend on some big project, only to discover, down the line, that they can’t maintain it with the revenues they have.  Unlike the lottery winner, though, it is the taxpayer who pays the price for their bad decisions.

Such is the case with the proposed forensic pathology lab that is being pushed in Bannock County.  If it is indeed built, Bannock County will have squandered millions of dollars that could have been used to reduce the property tax burden that we’re all facing.  We will find ourselves paying more taxes, subsidizing other counties with Bannock County taxpayer dollars, and gaining almost nothing in return.

How did this come about?  After COVID, counties across the nation were provided with funds through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).  Bannock County received about $17 million.  The commissioners who were in office when the award was announced decided they needed to spend the money on big ticket items, instead of using it to eliminate some of the $16 million in deferred maintenance on county properties that has piled up over the years.  The current board of commissioners, in spite of my repeatedly calling this idea into question, has stayed mostly on that path ever since.

I took office in January of 2023.  In one of my first meetings as a commissioner, it was revealed by staff that the cost to build a forensic lab was not going to be the $2 million touted over all of 2022, but instead was projected to be $7.5 million to $7.8 million.  A consultant’s report that I obtained estimated the price at $9.1 million.  The current number being thrown around is $3.5 million.  These wildly varying estimates, alone, ought to be enough to give you pause.

During a Board of Commissioners meeting on February 23 of last year, I made my first attempt to end this project (You can watch that meeting, here: Bannock County 02/23/2023 ARPA Fund Discussion (youtube.com) ).  I pointed out that not only was the cost excessive, but that the excuse for building the lab, that it was going to save huge amounts of travel time to Boise to conduct autopsies, was only a minor problem, at best.  It turns out that, over the last two years, only 2.25 autopsies per month are being performed for Bannock County.  That hardly justifies the construction of a multi-million-dollar facility and the cost to run and maintain it.

Another justification was that we were going to conduct autopsies for several counties in Eastern Idaho, which would allow the lab to become self-sufficient.  Unfortunately, this is also a pipe dream.  Over a year ago, I said that the cost of autopsies would probably triple.  Now, that is being shown to be true.  It costs us $2300 for a standard autopsy to be performed in Boise.  Last month, our autopsy lab promoters conducted two autopsies over two days at Portneuf Medical Center for other counties.  The cost, per autopsy, was $6500 for the forensic pathologist, $350 for a medical assistant, $95 for use of the facility, and some unknown amount for supplies used.  The total cost for each autopsy to Bannock County was between $7000 and $8000.

How much is Bannock County intending to charge for this service?  $2300.  The same rate as Boise, and an amount which ensures Bannock County taxpayers will be on the hook, subsidizing autopsies for our surrounding counties.

The Commissioners held a public hearing on Thursday, February 21, 2024, regarding a fee schedule for autopsies.  During that hearing, nobody from the public showed up to speak, either for or against.  I did speak, however, and once again set out some of the reasons that this project is such a horrendous deal for Bannock County property taxpayers.

I encourage you to watch the video of our meeting at which we discuss the proposed fee schedule, starting at 15:24, and linked here:  3/21/2024 Bannock County Work Sessions (youtube.com)

Then, if you agree with me that this project is bad for you, the Bannock County taxpayer, I urge you to send an email to the commissioners expressing your opposition to continuing this project.  You can email the commissioners at the link found here:  Commissioners | Bannock County

When I was elected, I vowed to do my best to put a stop to the ever-increasing spending that was driving up your property taxes.  In last year’s budget, I accomplished this goal. If we can put a stop to this forensic lab boondoggle and use the money wisely, we can keep the property tax spending from increasing again.  We can fund all the capital projects at the jail, replace the dilapidated buildings at the Fairgrounds in Downey, finish the work on our Veterans Memorial building, and much more…without spending any of your property tax dollars.

I need your help to get this done.  Please reach out to the commissioners today.