IRON MOUNTAIN — Dickinson County Healthcare System trustees will be asked Thursday to reconsider a decision to discontinue autopsy services.

A joint meeting between the hospital board and county board has been set for 3 p.m. in the correctional center conference room. “Hopefully, it will be productive,” County Controller Brian Bousley said Monday.

The meeting will occur 17 days after Sheriff Scott Rutter told the county board the situation was mishandled because law enforcement was left out of the hospital’s plans.

DCHS later defended the move, saying most Upper Peninsula health care organizations have gone a similar route.

The hospital is outsourcing its pathology services to Medical Lab Associates of Marquette, having ended its contract with pathologist Dr. Martin Cristanelli. Traditionally, by county appointment, the hospital pathologist serves a dual role as county medical examiner, investigating deaths that are suspicious, unexpected, accidental or violent. Cristanelli still has the medical examiner position.

DCHS points out it has no contract to provide pathology services for the county and the medical examiner can choose to perform these services at other facilities. The decision to outsource pathology services was made in the best interests of the hospital to control costs, hospital officials say.

County officials, however, are frustrated by the sudden denial of access to the hospital’s autopsy room. There is an informal agreement for temporary use of the morgue, but whether the status for autopsies will change is unknown, Bousley said.

At Monday’s county board meeting, he advised the approach for Thursday’s session will be to “speak our mind.”

Board members were mostly reticent, but Commissioner John Degenaer Jr. offered, “It’s going to be quite important to the county.”

In other action, the county board:

— Heard Rutter report a Victim Services Unit is operating with seven trained volunteers. Four applicants are scheduled for interviews, and a dozen more have expressed interest, he said. The volunteer advocates are trained by the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association to help families cope with the loss of a loved one, assist a victim of a crime, or in some cases provide short-term crisis intervention.

— Scheduled adoption of its 2020 budget for Dec. 23, two weeks later than first planned. The county is drafting two budgets for 2020, one anticipating a loss of $500,000 if an impasse between Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican legislative leaders goes unresolved. Without the restoration of funds, there will be “a lot of pain for a lot of counties throughout the state,” Commissioner Joe Stevens said.

— Approved advertising a timber sale on a 12.5-acre parcel on Pine Mountain, estimated at 55 cords of mixed hardwoods and 230 cords of aspen. The harvest will be coordinated by VanOss Forestry Services of Crystal Falls. It is needed, in part, to assist the Kiwanis Ski Club’s efforts to make improvements to the ski jump venue.

— Will have a county parks meeting at a date to be determined to review recommended electrical improvements at Lake Antoine Park. Commissioner Kevin Pirlot suggested hiring an engineer but received no support.

— Learned from Commissioner Barbara Kramer that Lake Antoine Park Partners will host eight consecutive movie weekends at the park next summer. The organization will participate in a third Crafty Flea Market fundraiser and plans to add another fall event, she said.

— Spoke of Veterans Day, with Stevens remarking “how lucky we are to be born in America.”