The Boone County Fiscal Court has approved a resolution extending pauper burial and indigent cremation services with Fares J. Radel Funeral Homes.
A pauper’s funeral is a common term for a respectful arrangement for a person who dies destitute and without anyone to pay for their funeral. An indigent burial is classified as one in which the individual is without funds for a funeral.
County Administrator Jeff Earlywine said the action satisfies a state statute – adding if an individual is deceased in Boone County and indigent or otherwise unclaimed, the county has a responsibility to cause that person’s burial.
“For many years we did conventional burials with a burial plot and a casket,” he said. “That proved to be expensive and the better option for our county, and many other counties, migrated to cremation as a more cost effective – and yet still appropriate alternative.”
Earlywine said Boone County issued a Request for Proposal, sometimes referred to as RFP, last year regarding the matter, noting Boone County joined the two surrounding counties in soliciting an RFP while awarding it individually.
“We received a proposal from Fares J. Radel to provide cremation services,” he said. “It’s worked very well. I think we’ve done about 18 this year. There was an option to extend the contract – renew it for, I think, two additional one-year terms.”
The recommendation was to extend the agreement for another year to continue to allow Fares J. Radel to provide the service on behalf of the county, per Earlywine. While there is no increase in the fee, there is one additional expense Fares J. Radel has requested, officials noted.
“On several occasions, Fares J. Radel has had to travel to either Frankfort or Lexington to the state medical examiner’s office to pick up a body that was there for an autopsy,” Earlywine said, referencing the scope of work was not articulated in the RFP. “Similarly, there have been a couple of night time call outs on a weekend or holiday. It’s a $195 fee.”
According to Earlywine, Boone County adheres to its policy that unless the county can find a distant relative or even a close friend willing to sign for acceptance and final disposition of the ashes, the deceased person will not be cremated.
“They would be buried in a burial plot and a casket,” he said. “There is a good faith effort to find someone willing to sign documentation saying they’ll accept responsibility for the ashes.”
County/Judge Executive Gary W. Moore said the relative or friend would receive the ashes – if they allow creation as an option.
“I think that’s a reasonable response, and I like where our policy stands on that,” he said.
