Cemetery boards seek extra levies for stone leveling and an emergency Brule well; commissioners discuss capital-outlay options

Officials who oversee county cemeteries told commissioners they need additional funding to raise and relevel headstones and to address an emergent well problem at Brule Cemetery. A speaker identified as Ken explained that bids from monument firms showed a list of stones with costs ranging roughly from $200 to $600 to raise and level; the current program is proceeding in sections and Ken asked the board to include another $20,000 in the levy to continue the work and to complete sections C and D in future years. Commissioners and staff discussed whether the work should be paid from a restricted capital-outlay fund or from a miscellaneous account; county staff confirmed rules for restricted capital funds and noted levy caps and fiscal-year timing constraints. For Brule Cemetery, staff said a well problem is currently under review and the group has an emergency capital outlay account that might cover part of the cost; if the well must be replaced the estimated cost discussed at the meeting was roughly $22,000, and the cemetery might need to request additional levy funds if that expense cannot be covered by reserves. Commissioners asked staff to verify fiscal-year deadlines and funding limits and to include the cemetery request in the county's upcoming budget hearings. Why it matters: The cemetery work concerns upkeep of county property and involves recurring small capital projects; financing choices (capital outlay fund versus annual levy) affect both cemetery maintenance and county budgeting.