I checked up on this township's budget for cemetery care. It was $250 a
year for three small abandoned pioneer cemeteries. That is not really
enough money to keep them mowed consistently. Even with that money each
year, he hasn't touched any of those cemeteries (to my knowledge) for
probably over a decade. From my understanding, the Township trustee is the
one who makes up the budget for how much money he will need to care for the
cemeteries that he is in charge of.
On a side note. I think that the law for cemetery care seems kind of vague.
IC 23-14-69-3
Sec. 3. A township trustee shall care for and maintain each cemetery to
which this chapter applies that is located in the township, keeping the
cemeteries in a respectable condition by:
(1) destroying detrimental plants (as defined in IC 15-3-4-1),
noxious weeds, and rank vegetation; and
(2) removing all unsightly accumulations and debris
A township trustee could interpret this law generously in his favor. He
could say that he could let the grass grow up three foot high as long as he
doesn't have any detrimental weeds. Now that's not what I think of when I
think of someone keeping up a cemetery. Help me out if I interpreted this
wrong.
http://indianatownshipassoc.org/duties/cemetery.htm
Another Question. About the grants you mentioned and receiving the deed for
the land that the cemetery is on, is it possible to get that land from the
state after it has been abandoned? What kind of grants do you apply for?
----- Original Message -----
From: <NTFCANNON(a)aol.com>
To: <INPCRP-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 8:51 AM
Subject: Re: [INPCRP] Abandoned Cemeteries
Tim and Sabrina, I am experienced with Township Cemetery funding too.
There
is not enough money to keep up with the cost. This is true even in
large
Townships with plenty of money coming in. Our Township Board has given
generously but again, it is not enough. So I have an alternative. We all
have
alternatives.
What we did with a cemetery that the owners of are to old to keep up with
is
established a nonprofit made up of 3rd and 4th graders from the
public
schools and applied for and received state grants to care for the
graveyard.
We still have not gotten the deed to the site but the club that holds
the
deed is very supportive and the children go twice a year on field trips
teaching respect where other efforts to do so have failed. Once a year
they
have a "open house " where the public is invited and crews
do various
projects in the cemetery.
So what we have learned is that "where there is a will there is a way."
Townships are not the last straw in cemetery preservation and our
community
is committed to this preservation effort. I pray I have given you
some
fresh
ideas. Good luck in your hometown.
NTFCannon(a)Aol.Com (Tom Cannon)
==== INPCRP Mailing List ====
"Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you
have."
Benjamin Franklin (1706 - 1790)