Board of Commissioners continues medical examiner contract for 2026
The Isabella County Board of Commissioners go over their agenda at the Commission on Aging on Tuesday Dec. 16, 2025. This is the last board meeting for the year. As the last board meeting of the year, the board approves medical examiner contract for the beginning of 2026.
The Isabella County Board of Commissioners extended the existing contract for the county’s medical examiner services and plan for future services. They also made 14 appointments for open positions on various boards.
The board approved a motion to continue their contract with Edward W. Sparrow Hospital Services for the county’s medical examiner services. This contract goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, and will last one year.
The medical examiner's services provide autopsies for deceased members of the community in the county. Brian Smith, Isabella County administrator, said the medical examiner also provides different methods of transporting the body. For example, under Sparrow, the county doesn't have a liability when transporting the bodies because Sparrow hires a third-party to transport them.
The Sparrow contract has been with the county since 2014. The one-year contract for Sparrow was accepted over the Mid Michigan Medical Examiners Group.
Tobin Hope, District 7 Representative on the Board of Commissioners, said that Sparrow lowered their price to meet what Mid Michigan offered. This means that both one-year contracts are cheaper than the 2025 Sparrow contract. However, he still favored Mid Michigan.
“I think the Mid Michigan Medical Examiners Group had a better proposal, a more detailed proposal, and I think they covered 17 counties,” Hope said.
The county also decided to go with a three-year extension for its contract with the University of Michigan Health for the county’s medical examiner services. This contract goes into effect Jan. 1, 2027.
Smith said this three-year contract has a 90-day termination with prior written notice. This can be used if they want to change.
“I think when we have bumps in the road, we try to smooth them out,” Jerry Jaloszynski, District 3 representative on the Board of Commissioners, said. “It doesn’t mean if we change contractor, we’re not going to have those same bumps.”
They also plan to coordinate steps to establish a county-run Medical Examiner Investigator (MEI) program at the sheriff’s office.
The commission also made 14 appointments for various boards in the county:
Isabella County Board of Public Works
- Technical advisor for Spicer Group, Timothy Warner
- Strategic business consultant at LA Powell and Associates, Latricia Powell
- Retired Air Force veteran, Brian Jackson
Commission on Aging Advisory Board District 5 Representative
- Current member of the advisory board, Ruthe Anne Maniteau
Commission on Aging Advisory Board District 5 Representative
- Current member of the advisory board, Alicia Haley
Commission on Aging Advisory Board At Large Representative
- Current member of the advisory board, Jessica Lapp
Isabella County Transportation Commission
- Brian Jackson
Parks and Recreation Commission
- Fremont Township trustee, Ruth Barrett
- CMU professor, Jordan Bruursema
Isabella County Planning Commission
- Current member of the planning commission, Phillip Vogel
- Jay's Sporting Goods IT director, Russell Hyde
- Current member of the planning commission, Adam Brookens
Isabella County Zoning Board of Appeals
- Current member of the Zoning Board of Appeals, Brent Duffett
- Current member of the Deerfield Township Zoning Board of Appeals, Thomas Kromer
