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COUNTY CEMETERY COMMISSIONS |
THIS PAGE IS A W
O R K I N G D R A F T.
THIS PAGE IS NOT LINKED TO ANY OTHER INPCRP
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AND INTENDED FOR "CONSUMPTION" ONLY
BY MEMBERS OF THE INPCRP WHO ARE
ASSISTING IN COLLECTION OF THE DATA THAT FOLLOWS.
SIMPLY STATED, THIS MEANS THIS WEBPAGE
IS NOT COMPLETE AND IT IS NOT "FINAL".
County Cemetery Commissions:
Any county in Indiana is empowered by Indiana Code 23-14-67 to create a County Cemetery Commission. Unfortunately, the statute does not require the creation of these commissions and, in many cases, when the County Commissioners create these County Cemetery Commissions, there is no requirement that they be funded by the County Council. Consequently, there are a number of counties in Indiana in which these commissions have been created, but they are unable to accomplish anything due to lack of funding.
If you have questions about whether your Indiana county has or could have a County Cemetery Commission, contact your County Commissioners. See http://www.indianacountycommissioners.org/Counties_A.htm for a directory of County Commissioners, courtesy of the Indiana Association of County Commissioners.
At the present time, the INPCRP is aware of County Cemetery Commissions
existing or pending only in the Indiana counties of:
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| Clark | Unfunded; inactive | Contact: Lois Mauk, Clark County Cemetery Commissioner | Created 1992; never funded;
$ZERO budget.
But see the Clark County Cemetery Preservation Committee's website at: https://sites.rootsweb.com/~incccpc |
| Dearborn | Pending | ||
| Fayette | Active; funded; cooperative effort with Trustees; full-time Cemetery Supervisor | Contact: John Walters, County Cemetery Supervisor | Fayette Co. has a model cemetery maintenance and restoration
program. John Walters,
who was the Fayette County Cemetery Supervisor, was a full-time County
employee whose job was to maintain and restore approximately 60 pioneer
cemeteries. John resigned that position in January 2002 to pursue
opportunities to do cemetery restoration on a freelance basis elsewhere.
The Fayette County Cemetery Supervisor's salary was paid by the County while the department's budget for supplies and materials is made up of funds pooled together by the Township Trustees. The Cemetery Department has its own workshop and lawncare equipment. They have several part-time employees and also make use of inmate labor and community service labor, as needed. Fayette County has accomplished a tremendous amount of progress in identifying, restoring and maintaining its pioneer cemeteries with a shoestring budget, coupled by the dedication of several employees and the commitment of its county and township officials. See the Fayette County Cemetery Supervisor's job description. See photos from the Fayette Co. Cemetery Department's Open House from May 12, 2001. |
| Floyd | Pending | Contact: Jack Briles | Discussions underway for possible creation of a County Cemetery Commission. |
| Franklin | Created Oct. 15, 2001 | Contact: _________ | Active, per Donna Tauber |
| Gibson | Pending | Discussions underway for possible creation of a County Cemetery Commission. | |
| Hamilton | Active | Contact: Joe Burgess
384 North 11th Street Noblesville, IN 46060-2146 |
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| Hancock | Created 08/06/2001 | Contact:
Judy Davis-Fuller Cemetery Commission President 123 Shade Tree Court Greenfield, IN. 46140 judgejudy112746@aol.com (317) 467-4773 Bonnie Andrews
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The commission is active and currently unfunded. They have asked for
a
budget of $2, 045. County council has not voted on it as of 08/2002. |
| Henry | Created 09/19/2001 | Contact: Donna Tauber, President, Henry
County Cemetery Commission, Spiceland, IN
< dtauber@kiva.net > Other contacts: Angela Tielking and U. E. Bush |
09/19/2001 -- County Commissioners passed ordinance creating a County
Cemetery Commission (see Ordinance
in PDF format); Commission appointments pending
See Cemetery Commission Website
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| Jay | Activated 9/2000 | Contact: Paul Pinkerton, County Cemetery Commission
President
5341 W. 400 North Portland, IN 47371 |
Budget is supposed to kick in in 2002 |
| Jefferson | Active | Contact: Jefferson County Cemetery Board
300 East Main Street Room 103 Madison, Indiana 47250 (812) 265-8944 |
$10,000 budget |
| Hancock | Created 2001 | Contact: Angela Tielking | |
| Knox | Active | Contact: Jon
Andrews, County Cemetery Commissioner,
P. O. Box 295 Vincennes, IN 47591 |
Knox County Cemetery Commission had a budget of $18,000
for the past three years (1998-2000) under a court-ordered settlement agreement
with the County Council. They have cleaned, fenced and surveyed about
30 of 41 endangered cemeteries of the 170 known cemeteries in Knox County.
About 85 of that 170 are church- or association-related, 40+ are taken
care of by the trustees and the Knox County Cemetery Commission is responsible
for the rest.
After the county invested over $50,000 in "carving these back from the wilderness", they quit funding. The Knox County Cemetery Commission's budget for 2001 is only $2,500. The budget for 2002 is a whopping $1,000. Knox County has no cemetery tax, nor is there any hope of getting one. The only thing that we have accomplished this year is with the help of 20 volunteers from the Northwest Territory Genealogical Society that have helped re-clean 2 cemeteries and one that we are not even responsible for. The trustees are supposed to take them back into their inventory when they are put back in shape again. Any complaints or letters of disgust concerning cemeteries should be directed to: Tim Ellerman |
| LaPorte | Active | Contacts:
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The LaPorte County Pioneer Cemetery Commission meets
the first Friday of each month at the county complex, unless
the meeting is combined with a tour of our pioneer cemeteries to check on their maintenance, etc. |
| Madison | Active | Contact: John Brundage, County Cemetery Commissioner | |
| Monroe | Created 2003 | Contact: Larry V. Stephens,
stephenL@indiana.edu |
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| Newton | Inactive | Contact: Kyle Conrad | 01/01/2001 -- County
Ordinance for the Establishment of the Cemetery Commission of Newton County,
Indiana {in Adobe Acrobat PDF format*}
08/13/2003 -- Commission members still not appointed |
| Ohio | Created 1999 | Contacts: Don Curry
5196 SR 56W, Rising Sun, IN |
$1,000 budget |
| Parke | Active | Contact: Jim Wilcox,
Treasurer, Parke Co. Cemetery Commission
P.O. Box 291 Rockville, IN 47872 (765)569-2843 |
Parke County's Cemetery Commission has received funding from the County Commisioners and has been working since spring of 2001. As of August 2001, they have have restored 6 cemeteries with at least 2 more scheduled. The Cemetery Commission meets once a month and conducts business. |
| Perry | None | Per Donna Tauber, "no cemetery commission as the trustees actively maintain their township per county commissioners" | |
| Scott | Active | Contact: John Robbins, Jr., County Cemetery Commission
President
1903 S. Finely Firehouse Road Scottsburg, IN 47170 |
Budget of $21,768 |
| Sullivan | Active | Contact: Harry Carpenter, County Cemetery Commissioner
Hymera, IN 812-383-4921 |
Budget of $6,000 |
| Switzerland | Inactive | Possible Contacts:
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These names have been provided us a possible contacts for the County Cemetery Commission in Switzerland County; not yet confirmed. |
| Washington | Active | Richard Dixon | Very active |
{"Pending" means discussions are underway with County Officials.}
To our knowledge, the remainder of the 92 counties in the state do not have Cemetery Commissions.
Indiana
Code 23-14-67 -- CARE OF CEMETERIES BY COUNTIES
http://www.ai.org/legislative/ic/code/title23/ar14/ch67.html
(emphasis added)
Sec. 1. This chapter applies to cemeteries that:
(1) are without funds or sources of funds for reasonable maintenance;Sec. 2.
(2) have suffered neglect and deterioration;
(3) may be the burial grounds for Indiana pioneer leaders or veterans of an American war, including the Revolutionary War; and
(4) were established before 1850.
Sec. 3. A county cemetery commission may request the levy of an annual tax for the purpose of restoring and maintaining one (1) or more cemeteries described in section 1 of this chapter that are located in the county. The tax may not exceed fifty cents ($0.50) on each one hundred dollars ($100) of assessed valuation of property in the county.
Sec. 3.5.
(a) Before March 1 of each year, a county cemetery commission
shall file an annual report with the Indiana historical bureau established
by IC 4-23-7-3.
(b) An annual report filed under this section must include
information on the following:
(1) The budget of the county cemetery commission for the preceding calendar year.(c) The Indiana historical bureau shall make reports filed under this section available for public inspection under IC 5-14-3.
(2) Expenditures made by the county cemetery commission during the preceding calendar year.
(3) Activities of the county cemetery commission during the preceding calendar year.
(4) Plans of the county cemetery commission for the calendar year during which the report is filed.
Sec. 4. A county cemetery commission established under this chapter shall:
(1) present an annual plan and budget; andto the board of county commissioners and the county council for approval.
(2) make an annual report;
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