Meeting Type: BCC Regular Meeting
Meeting Date: 10/21/2025
Item Status: New
From: Tara Hazelbaker, Finance Director; Dr. Brian Pierce, Coroner; Brian Underwood, Grants Director
Submitted by: Katrina Taylor, Grants Administrator
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ITEM TITLE
Title
Coroner’s Office - Bureau of Justice Assistance FY 2025 Strengthening the Medical Examiner and Coroner System Grant Program
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STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Take the following actions:
1) Confirm, ratify, and approve the submittal of the FY 2025 Strengthening the Medical Examiner and Coroner System Grant application by staff on behalf of the Baldwin County Coroner’s Office requesting $85,000.00 in federal funding to support reaccreditation through the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners; and
2) Authorize the Chairman to sign any documents related to this grant application.
Due to time constraints and the submission deadlines of October 6, 2025, for Grants.gov and October 14, 2025, for JustGrants, staff submitted both the SF-424 and the full grant application forms electronically prior to Commission approval.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Background: The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) FY 2025 grant program aims to elevate the quality and consistency of death investigations nationwide by funding accreditation and reaccreditation efforts for medical examiner and coroner offices. Accreditation signifies compliance with nationally recognized standards, enhances operational efficiency, and reinforces public confidence in forensic services.
The Coroner’s Office currently holds accreditation through the International Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners (IACME) and is now approaching its reaccreditation cycle. Grant funding would support critical infrastructure upgrades, including the replacement of forensic cameras, modernization of the morgue’s cooling system, and restoration of flooring through professional scaling - all essential to maintaining accreditation standards and ensuring continued excellence in service delivery.
The application process followed a two-tier structure designed to streamline federal grant submissions and ensure compliance with administrative requirements. The first tier involved submitting the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance through the Grants.gov portal, with the submission deadline of October 6, 2025. This initial step served as a formal declaration of intent to apply, capturing basic organizational and project-level information. It did not require a comprehensive project narrative or detailed budget information. Once the SF-424 was submitted and acknowledged, applicants proceeded to the second tier via the JustGrants portal. This phase required the complete grant application, including the project narrative, budget detail worksheet, disclosure forms, and all supporting documentation. The JustGrants portal was where the substantive review of the application occurred. The deadline for completing this second tier was October 14, 2025.
Previous Commission action/date: N/A
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Total cost of recommendation: $85,000.00 in grant revenues
Budget line item(s) to be used: Fund 281 Federal Grants
If this is not a budgeted expenditure, does the recommendation create a need for funding? N/A
LEGAL IMPACT
Is legal review necessary for this staff recommendation and related documents?
N/A
Reviewed/approved by: N/A
Additional comments: N/A
ADVERTISING REQUIREMENTS
Is advertising required for this recommendation? N/A
If the proof of publication affidavit is not attached, list the reason: N/A
FOLLOW UP IMPLEMENTATION
For time-sensitive follow up, select deadline date for follow up: N/A
Individual(s) responsible for follow up: Administration - NOA email
Action required (list contact persons/addresses if documents are to be mailed or emailed):
cc: Tara Hazelbaker
Brian Pierce
Troy Dyess
Christie Bezoari
Brian Underwood
Katrina Taylor
Shelby Middleton
Additional instructions/notes: N/A