§45-16-62. Office of Coroner established; chief deputy coroner; expenses; compensation.

(a) This section shall only apply in Coffee County.

(b) At the expiration of the current term of office of the Coroner of the Elba Division and the Coroner of the Enterprise Division of the county, or if a vacancy occurs in either division in the office of coroner, then immediately upon the occurrence of the vacancy, the Elba Division of Coroner and the Enterprise Division of Coroner shall cease to exist and the office of Coroner of Coffee County is established. The Coroner of the Elba Division and the Coroner of the Enterprise Division, as the case may be, remaining in office shall be the Coroner of Coffee County for the remainder of the term of office for which he or she was elected. If the vacancy occurs as a result of the expiration of the term of office, the coroner elected at the general election by majority vote shall be the Coroner of Coffee County. The coroner shall be elected at the general election and every four years thereafter, and shall serve for a term of four years.

(c) The coroner shall appoint a chief deputy coroner from the judicial circuit division of the county where the elected coroner does not reside.

(d)(1) Commencing August 1, 2008, the Coroner of the Elba Division and the Coroner of the Enterprise Division shall each receive one-half of an expense allowance that is the salary of a member of the Coffee County Commission, but not less than eighteen thousand dollars ($18,000) annually. This expense allowance shall be in lieu of any and all other compensation, salary, and expense allowance provided by law.

(2) Beginning at the next term of office, the Coroner of Coffee County shall receive the same salary as a member of the Coffee County Commission, but not less than eighteen thousand dollars ($18,000) per year, which shall be paid in the same manner and at the same time as other county employees.

(3) The coroner may participate in the same retirement system and the same insurance plan in the same manner and upon the same terms and conditions as any other employee of the county.

(e) Beginning upon a vacancy in the Elba Division of Coroner or the Enterprise Division of Coroner pursuant to subsection (b), the chief deputy coroner shall receive a salary of two hundred dollars ($200) per month and any and all expenses incurred by the chief deputy coroner in the performance of the duties of the office of Coroner of Coffee County in the absence of the coroner.

(f) The Coffee County Commission shall pay all expenses incurred or required by the coroner and chief deputy coroner to perform the duties of his or her office, including travel expenses pursuant to state-approved rates for state employees, radio and paging equipment and maintenance costs, and association dues and continuing education expenses. The expenses shall be paid from the county general fund by the county commission.

(Act 2008-88, p. 114, §§1-6.)