Resident presses commissioners on Reacher Cemetery upkeep; board points to township and trustees

A Fulton County resident urged the commissioners on Monday to help resolve longstanding problems at Reacher Cemetery, saying trustees have not organized, deeds and certificate records are missing and families cannot place headstones.

"There's never been a meeting in ages," the resident (S8) said, recounting attempts to secure records and describing families unable to obtain markers. The resident said the cemetery appears to have no functioning trustees and that stock certificates and deeds dating back to 1930 cannot be found.

S8 cited sections of state law (transcript lists code references starting with "23-14-68-1" through "-5") and said the statutes suggest a township trustee who fails to perform duties under the chapter may face penalties and, under certain circumstances, county responsibility.

County officials responded that, based on the information available and standard practice, the township trustee and cemetery trustees must first act. "The county has nothing to do with it" unless the township formally abandons responsibility or state code explicitly shifts duties to the county, a county representative (S5) said. Commissioners suggested the resident consult a private attorney to reorganize the cemetery board or pursue other legal remedies. "You probably need to talk to your attorney to see how you get that board reorganized," Commissioner (S9) said.

The board agreed to provide the resident with guidance on the relevant code sections for Holly (county attorney) to review; there was no formal county action recorded at the meeting. The commissioners advised the resident to pursue private legal steps or seek a township decision before the county would intervene.

Next steps: County staff agreed to furnish the code references for the county attorney's review; the resident was told to pursue reorganization through counsel and the township.