§5764. Powers and duties

            A. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the coroner or his designee, may purchase or rent immovable property as necessary for the performance of the coroner's official duties. The ownership of such property shall be vested in the name of the office of the coroner for the parish of Webster, provided that all purchases and rentals are funded through the budget for the office of the coroner.

            B. The coroner shall establish and set the salaries and benefits for the deputy coroners, secretaries, stenographers, clerks, technicians, investigators, official photographers, or any other office assistants subject to the approval of the parish governing authority.

            C. Except as provided for in Subsection E of this Section, the coroner shall be responsible for contracting and funding all services and obligations including but not limited to autopsies, morgue operations, investigations, court appearances and testimonies, interdictions and commitments of mental or incompetent cases, and attending or assisting physicians in interdiction or commitment cases.

            D. The coroner shall receive a reasonable fee or compensation for any physical or mental examination or investigation that is requested by the district attorney, or any judge, sheriff, or chief of police of Webster Parish, or by any responsible citizen or resident when acting in good faith in an emergency and in the furtherance of the public good and safety.

            E. The parish governing authority shall pay a reasonable fee or remuneration for mental or physical examinations, investigations, commitments, interdictions, court attendance, or testimony associated with any parish inmate.

            F. Nothing contained in this Section shall be interpreted as diminishing any of the authority of the coroner as delegated to him in the constitution and laws of this state.

            Acts 2015, No. 346, §1.