The new county morgue has received funding with a transfer of $150,000 to foot the bill.
Financial Manage-ment Committee members, followed by Budget and Finance Committee members, met Thursday and approved relocation of the money from an “unassigned fund” to a line item called “building construction (morgue)” in the county’s 2014-15 fiscal year budget.
“That is a budget amendment to pay for the morgue,” said finance director Linda Hillis. “That’s scheduled to bid Feb. 10, right?”
According to County Executive Herschel Wells, bids were accepted beginning Feb. 3 and the window for submitting a bid will close Feb. 10.
The county is rushing to make its June 1 completion date.
That date was set as a goal because River Park Hospital will stop taking the county’s deceased as of July 1. That gives the county some margin for error.
The architect over the project is Upland Design Group.
The county approved a plan to spend up to $143,500 on the morgue. However, until the bids are received, the actual cost will not be known. 
While all members of Financial Management were in attendance, Budget and Finance had Commissioners Terry Bell, Carl E. Bouldin, and Michael Martin in attendance. Absent were Ken Martin and Diane Starkey.
A Building and Grounds Committee meeting is scheduled for Feb. 10 at 5 p.m. to receive an update on the morgue.