A conclusion for a discussion that began in 2020 in Mount Vernon city council will be found in the coming weeks, as an ordinance for the creation of a cemetery commission passed its first reading.
The Mount Vernon city council voted unanimously to move to the second reading that would create a commission for the local cemetery.
Guy Booth was at the council meeting to discuss why this was needed with the council. Booth serves on the Mount Vernon Historic Preservation Commission and has been working on the creation of the cemetery commission for the past two years.
“We would like to have the cemetery be something that [helps out] families, whether they live here or not, take care of the place where their ancestors remains are located,” Booth said.
After a public hearing arguing for the commission’s creation, all of the feedback from the council was pro-commission.
This commission would be made up of volunteers in the community. These volunteers will oversee many things about upkeep and communication surrounding the cemetery.
The commission would take care of the gravesites, starting with grave markers that need repair. To do this, they will have to track down any relatives of the grave and get approval from the families to fix the graves. This communication system would also allow families to locate a grave by contacting the commission.
This commission will also be responsible for advising the city. This advice would range from the repairs and new things that need to be built, to helping to plan for the future since the cemetery has a limited capacity. Currently, no one within the local government specializes in this area.
The idea for the cemetery commission was also inspired by the Hahn-Howard American Legion Post in Mount Vernon. The legion has continually set aside money to keep veterans’ graves and memorials pristine. The cemetery commission believes they could provide the care needed to keep the rest of the gravesite in good shape, honoring those who came before us.
Kevin Woods with the Hahn-Howard American Legion Post said that the community had raised money for the veteran’s memorial in 2016, with more than $15,000 raised. At that time, Woods said that they tried to give the excess money to the city for the upkeep of the cemetery, but the city did not have a place for those funds at the time. The commission would provide a vehicle for that money to be placed, as well as any future donations and grants received for the upkeep of the cemetery. These grants could be received because of the history within the cemetery.
Another aspect of the commission would be opening opportunities for Eagle Scout projects, according to mayor Tom Wieseler. Wieseler said requests for Eagle Scout projects are made to the city every year. The cemetery could provide some opportunities for that in the future.
The second reading will happen at the next city council meeting on July 1.