Another Ohio township trying to walk away from it's responsibilities to care for a cemetery - Ravenna Township, Portage County, Ohio

Sharing this July 26, 2020 story by Diane Smith from the "Record-Courier" -- 
"Ravenna Township wants out of Maple Grove Agreement" 

"City and township officials plan to meet in the near future to consider the future of Maple Grove Cemetery on North Chestnut Street, which Ravenna city and township have jointly operated for more than 20 years.

Ravenna Township Trustee Patsy Artz said the burden of rising costs at Maple Grove are too much to bear for the township, which took over Grandview after its previous owners, Ted and Myndi Martin, were sent to prison for defrauding customers. The burden of rising cemetery costs, she said, comes at a time when all local governments are short on funds because of COVID-19.

“By law, we only have to have one cemetery,” she said. “We cannot afford to maintain two cemeteries, nor do we need to.”

 Assistant Portage County Prosecutor Chad Murdock wrote a letter to the city in June, hoping to dissolve the partnership that operates Maple Grove.

 “With your consent, the board (of township trustees) would like, actually needs, to withdraw from the Maple Grove Union Cemetery,” he wrote. “To be fiscally responsible, the board must make some changes.”

 Maple Grove, though now located entirely within the city limits, was once the township cemetery. In 1995, the township sued the city, arguing that because the cemetery was in the city, both governments should jointly maintain it, and the Portage County Common Pleas Court ruled in the township’s favor.

 Ravenna Law Director Frank Cimino said that an opinion from the Ohio Attorney General has determined that both parties in a union cemetery must agree to dissolve the partnership.

 “If the city does not consent to it, they (township trustees) have no ability to withdraw,” Cimino told council’s planning committee recently.

 However, he said, the city and township could form a joint district to seek a tax levy to fund the cemetery.

 Councilwoman Amy Michael said she was concerned about justifying a tax increase to residents, and pointed out that the city is losing money as well.

 “There have been so many taxes and increases to our residents,” she said. “Some of our residents choose cremation and don’t even use that cemetery, or another cemetery. I’m not sure how we’d justify that.”

 Councilman Tim Calfee said he believes the cemetery needs to be fixed up, but now isn’t the right time to ask for a tax.

 “We don’t say when we’re having trouble paying our bills, ‘Oh, I don’t want to pay my bill anymore,’ ” he said.

 Mayor Frank Seman said he thinks both sides need to sit down and “politely discuss the situation.”

 But it’s not clear when, or how, the meeting would take place because of regulations on mass gatherings due to COVID-19.

“That cemetery, people watch it like a hawk,” Michael said. “A lot of our loved ones are there, and our history is there.”"

Maple Grove Cemetery has 15,384 interments on "Find A Grave"

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Grandview Memorial Park has 3,420 interments on "Find A Grave"

"However, he said, the city and township could form a joint district to seek a tax levy to fund the cemetery."

http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/759.341v1

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759.341 Union cemetery district.

The legislative authority of each municipal corporation and the board of township trustees of each township that has united in the establishment and management of a cemetery under section 759.27 of the Revised Code, by an affirmative vote of a majority of each legislative authority and board, may form a union cemetery district comprised of all of the territory within the united municipal corporation and township for the purpose of levying taxes within the territory of the district for the establishment, operation, and maintenance of the cemetery. The legislative authority and board, acting jointly, shall constitute the taxing authority of the union cemetery district. Notwithstanding sections 759.37, 5705.19, and 5705.191 of the Revised Code, in order to adopt a resolution to levy a tax in excess of the ten-mill limitation within the district, a majority of the members of each legislative authority and board of township trustees constituting the taxing authority must vote in favor of the resolution. In all other matters, when the legislative authority and board are acting jointly as the taxing authority of the union cemetery district, each member of the legislative authority and board shall have one vote as described in section 759.37 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 10-20-1987.

 

There are so many elements at play in a situation such as this one.  More than one side to the argument has merit in this story.  Definitely, more discussions are needed to happen between all parties involved.  
Reaching out to obtain pertinent input from residents is crucial.  Some options include holding Facebook live 'town hall' type meetings, etc.  
Seeking different approaches to solve the problems at hand to better enable the living to do the right thing by those who are no longer with us and no longer who can speak for themselves. 

The fate of final resting places of those who came before us - whether they be long ago ancestors or our parents - and when you come right down to it, ourselves if we have invested in plots at a cemetery, all are at risk.  
At the heart of the matter is:  Respect, Dignity, Honoring final wishes.   All are at risk of  being lost if we as the living,  do not keep our commitments to those who came before us, to each other, and to ourselves.  
All cemeteries are part of their surrounding communities.  Cemeteries are comprised of sacred spaces and are living breathing landscapes full of cherished history. 
Yes, financial resources are considerations, but there are options, even workarounds, to achieve goals.  
We have seen how volunteers have cared for active cemeteries that were orphaned by their owners right here in Ohio -- Floral Hills Memory Gardens in Ross County and the Pickaway County location both have managed to sustained themselves through volunteerism and donations.  And, they have now done it for over 7 years.  Can they go on forever - of course not, but they are keeping these cemeteries going as best that they can until a new owner is put in place.  

Like everything else in life that determines whether there will be success or failure, it all comes down to the people involved.  How committed they are to solving a problem.  How devoted they are to seeking out solutions and gathering local community support.  

What we don't want to happen is for active cemeteries being 'fast-tracked' into a downward spiral of becoming like their long abandoned counterparts -- covered with overgrown weeds, landscapes dotted with sinking markers, and leaning monuments.  
As a nation and a society, we are at a crossroads because of changes in burial practices that are jeopardizing the future of long-established cemeteries.  
Additional options for long-term cemetery care need to be explored.  I feel adopting measures modeled after those cemeteries with owners that have been successful at handling these changes would be worthwhile to explore and carefully examine.