The Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds Office has implemented a new procedure concerning Death Certificates that will eliminate needless delays and potential increased cost of Cremation Services for the citizens of Tazewell County.

As Cremation Services have increased over the past decade, the cost for storage of the increased bodies waiting for cremation could become a focal point. Before a body can be cremated, the Death Certificate must be signed by both the Coroner’s Office and the County Clerk’s Office. While the Coroner’s Office has 24 / 7 operations, the County Clerk’s Office has previously been limited to normal business hours Monday – Friday. This can cause needless delays and increased costs by needing to store a body over weekends and holidays when the County Clerk’s Office is closed.

Under the new procedure implemented December 1st by the Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds Office, a member of the Vital Stats Division will be “On Call” available over weekends and holidays to respond to these requests for Death Certificates to be completed so a body can be cremated in an expeditated timeframe. The result of this new procedure will eliminate the need for delays and decrease the need for prolonged storage.

While the need for this service has been recognized and requested by the State of Illinois for several years, this procedure or a similar solution has not come forward. Locally, the Tazewell County Coroner Charles Hanley has brought the need for this service forward to the attention of our office. The Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds Office is among the first within the State of Illinois to address this increasing need of service.

The new “On Call” procedure implemented by the Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds Office to address this need will increase employee cost only slightly by an estimated $5,000 yearly.

“This is just yet another example of the Tazewell County Clerk & Recorder of Deeds Office leading within the State of Illinois” stated County Clerk John C. Ackerman. “For a small increase in cost, we are saving Tazewell County Citizens needless delays in service and the need for potential increased cost for storage. I want to thank Tazewell County Coroner Charles Hanley for his insights into the need for this new procedure and service. We are blessed to have a County Coroner focused on professional service and care to the citizens, as well as looking forward to the need for new services into the future.”