BaldwinCity.com

Odds are good that Baldwin City will be getting into the cemetery business next year.

Members of the Baldwin City Cemetery Board attended Monday night's Baldwin City Council meeting to present a proposal to deed the assets of two cemeteries to the city which would maintain them. Oakwood and Pioneer cemeteries are at the south edge of the city and have been around since the 1850s.

"Both cemeteries are a history lesson and, of course, cherished by their loved ones," said Roger Boyd, vice president of the cemetery association.

Boyd outlined the assets and expenses to the council, noting that they were losing around $10,000 a year and it would eventually eat away the certificate of deposits and trust fund the board has. He explained that when that happened, the city would have to take over the cemetery anyway. This way, the city gets the assets ahead of time.

"I've been talking to the cemetery folks for about six months," said City Administrator Jeff Dingman. "I definitely think it fits the responsibility of the city. I don't think it's burdensome and it's not uncommon."

The council didn't vote, but the consensus was the proposal should be explored, questions answered regarding the trust fund and eventually a vote to approve the transfer would be made.

"I think it's something the city is going to have to do," said Council Member Ted Brecheisen Jr. "I think we budget for it."

The trust fund totals around $120,000. City Attorney Matt Hoy is to look over the document to see how it is worded and what would happen when it's given to the city.

Boyd said Baldwin City Cemetery, the formal name of the Pioneer Cemetery, began in 1854, but was only active for about 15 years. There were problems with the prairie area being too wet for graves to be properly buried. It is east of Douglas County Road 1055 just to the south of town.

Oakwood Cemetery was opened in 1869, he said, and consists of 55 acres. It is north of Orange Street and west of Third Street. Boyd said there are 2,500 gravesites left in the cemetery. In the 1980s, they sold for $100 apiece. That was raised to $200 in the 1990s, $400 in 2000 and $500 in 2007.

"We have quite a few spaces left," said Boyd. "Enough for all of us."

He said that 10-12 sites are sold on an average each year. The trust fund requires 15 percent of that to be put into the fund. Burial costs $350, but that goes to the gravedigger. The fund earns around $5,000 per year from interest.

Expenses in the past have included $1,500 per month for the sexton who maintained the cemeteries, sold the plots and other work. Utilities for the year were $2,400 and fuel was $900. Last year, the cemetery had a shortfall of $10,500 and the year before it was $13,567, said Boyd.

"It has been eating into our CDs and it will eventually get into our trust," he said.

"I think it's admirable you were able to maintain it, especially given the resources you had," said Council Member Ken Wagner.

The council also approved increasing its payment to EBH and Associates, the engineering firm for both the Downtown Streetscape Project and Women's Bridge, by around $7,000. It won't increase the money the city will pay for the two projects and is more of an accounting measure. The increased engineering fee was the result of the projects being done separately. Originally, it was thought they'd be done at the same time, but problems with bids for the Downtown Project and other factors changed that.

"We are not increasing our match, correct?" asked Council President Amy Cleavinger.

"Correct," said Dingman. "I don't think it's an unfair request."

The council also approved its annual agreement with the Baldwin City Recreation Commission to manage the municipal pool. No changes were made in the agreement.