MONROE - After discussing how the Greenwood Cemetery Board can more efficiently operate its facility, Monroe Common Council members proposed that the city help offset expenditures by taking on tasks like bookkeeping or lawn care.
Alderman Michael Boyce suggested the idea after hearing from City Administrator Phil Rath, who told the council during a special meeting Wednesday that the city supplied $48,950 to the cemetery from the 2017 budget.
"I don't foresee the city contribution going down anytime soon," Rath said. "They're always about nine to 12 months behind in their budgeting."
For bookkeeping tasks, the board purchased a computer in order to digitize records. Alderman Richard Thoman serves on the cemetery board. He noted the change to computer-based record keeping is a progressive step for a group that has only utilized a large ledger book in the past.
In March, cemetery board chairman Nate Klassy notified the city's Finance and Taxation Committee of the board's shortcomings. One issue was a bookkeeping services bill of $7,565. The other was the repayment of a personal loan Klassy made to the cemetery totaling $3,000. That same month, council members approved an $11,000 loan be paid to the cemetery board to cover costs. Designated as an on-call loan, board members will only be responsible for refunding the amount to the city if the council requests it.
Revenue has been decreasing, Klassy said. Because fewer people prefer to be buried and instead would rather be cremated, the cemetery receives less money. Rath added that because of the mobility of people who no longer plan decades into the future with the purchase of a plot, the cemetery suffers from a lack of interest that had been accrued in the past.
If the cemetery were to be abandoned by the board the property defaults to the care of the city, Rath said. Because of this, the city tends to contribute funds and also spends roughly $25,000 per year to repair cemetery roads and will continue to do so at least for the next three years, Director of Public Works Al Gerber said.
Alderwoman Brooke Bauman said the city would not necessarily need to take over all operations but that the $9,000 cost of annual bookkeeping fees could be easily reduced through other methods.
Alderman Michael Boyce suggested the idea after hearing from City Administrator Phil Rath, who told the council during a special meeting Wednesday that the city supplied $48,950 to the cemetery from the 2017 budget.
"I don't foresee the city contribution going down anytime soon," Rath said. "They're always about nine to 12 months behind in their budgeting."
For bookkeeping tasks, the board purchased a computer in order to digitize records. Alderman Richard Thoman serves on the cemetery board. He noted the change to computer-based record keeping is a progressive step for a group that has only utilized a large ledger book in the past.
In March, cemetery board chairman Nate Klassy notified the city's Finance and Taxation Committee of the board's shortcomings. One issue was a bookkeeping services bill of $7,565. The other was the repayment of a personal loan Klassy made to the cemetery totaling $3,000. That same month, council members approved an $11,000 loan be paid to the cemetery board to cover costs. Designated as an on-call loan, board members will only be responsible for refunding the amount to the city if the council requests it.
Revenue has been decreasing, Klassy said. Because fewer people prefer to be buried and instead would rather be cremated, the cemetery receives less money. Rath added that because of the mobility of people who no longer plan decades into the future with the purchase of a plot, the cemetery suffers from a lack of interest that had been accrued in the past.
If the cemetery were to be abandoned by the board the property defaults to the care of the city, Rath said. Because of this, the city tends to contribute funds and also spends roughly $25,000 per year to repair cemetery roads and will continue to do so at least for the next three years, Director of Public Works Al Gerber said.
Alderwoman Brooke Bauman said the city would not necessarily need to take over all operations but that the $9,000 cost of annual bookkeeping fees could be easily reduced through other methods.