The City of Gallatin will be accepting memorial contributions to help finance the continued maintenance of Lile Cemetery, Brown Cemetery and Greenwood Cemetery.
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Gallatin has been tasked with the maintenance of the cemeteries with no source of income to perform such a duty. The lowest most responsive bid for performing the mowing this year was $675 per mowing. During a normal year between 18 and 23 mowings are necessary. Last year mowing expense totaled $10,820. The city received $754.49 in donations to help offset this cost — a shortfall of $10,065.51 which was made up by using funds from the city’s General Budget.
“Our Cemetery Budget for cemetery upkeep in 2021 is $13,000,” says City Administrator Lance Rains. “This will only include the mowing.
“Most people don’t understand that Gallatin doesn’t receive any money from the sale of cemetery plots. In fact, there has been a moratorium on the sale of the remaining plots because there was some confusion on lot ownership due to multiple people selling lots in the 1990s.”
Mr. Rains also says it is not widely known that the maintenance of a cemetery plot remains the responsibility of the family members and not the cemetery association in general.
“Our goal is to get enough donations to not only pay for the mowing but also to remove some of the old trees, level some of the plots and straighten some of the headstones,” Rains explains.
Contributions may be placed in the drop box in the alley at City Hall or mailed to the City of Gallatin, C/O Cemetery Memorial Contribution, 112 E. Grand St., Gallatin, Mo. 64640.
“Thank you in advance for your assistance and contributions on this very important project,” says Mr. Rains.