Warden cemetery looks to levy for maintenance

WARDEN — Voters in the Warden area are being asked this fall to support the upkeep of their cemetery.

The City of Warden owns and operates Sunset Memorial Gardens, and City Administrator Mike Thompson said the special operations and maintenance levy on the November ballot would collect funds for its upkeep. He said the levy would help pay for worker wages and other costs of services at the facility.

"A big percentage of it is labor," Thompson said.

Money raised by the levy would also go toward mowing, weeding and other tasks that are needed at the cemetery.

Thompson said the price to operate the facility can rise through factors like keeping the lawn green and the costs of holding services. Last year, Thompson said the cemetery had a budget of approximately $50,000.

Grant County Cemetery District No. 4 has placed the one-year levy on the ballot, which would collect 13 cents per $1,000 assessed value in property taxes from district residents. Grant County officials said this week that the levy would collect approximately $30,000 for the cemetery in 2006 if it passes.

Delmar Laib is the one of the district's commissioners and said the levy is one that Warden residents have seen on their ballots for a number of years. Laib said the levy has failed to obtain the 60 percent supermajority needed to pass for the last few years, but said it has previously passed in the cemetery district. If the levy passes this year, Laib said all funds would go to the city for operating the cemetery, minus costs to pay for the election.

Laib said the sale of cemetery lots and other fees do not bring in enough money to completely fund maintenance at the cemetery. He said that by offering the levy, the cemetery district is trying to keep those fees down for the bereaved who are already facing the cost of losing a loved one.

"We just think it's better to have everyone pay a little bit of tax each year than raising these other fees," Laib said.