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Commissioners petition to serve as trustees for Phillipsburg, Valley cemetery districts; require quarterly financial reports
Summary
Granite County commissioners voted to petition the district court to be appointed financial trustees for the Phillipsburg and Valley cemetery districts under an older state statute and agreed to require quarterly financial reports from the districts. The petition will be drafted and filed with the court.
The Granite County Commission voted Jan. 28 to petition the district court to appoint the commissioners as the financial trustees for the Phillipsburg and Valley cemetery districts, fulfilling an older state statutory requirement and establishing a requirement for quarterly financial reports to be filed with the commission.
The move followed a presentation by Valley Cemetery Board Chairman Ron Wecht and discussion with cemetery volunteers who described routine operations, equipment purchases and long–term maintenance the boards perform. Wecht and other cemetery board members said they have handled maintenance and purchases locally and that their boards already closely manage funds and operations.
Commissioner Miranda Hazard moved that the commission petition the district court to be named trustee and require quarterly filings; a commissioner seconded (second not recorded by name in the transcript), and the motion passed by voice vote. The commissioners directed county staff to prepare a petition for the district court judge (Judge Dayton was referenced as the judge who would sign) and to work with cemetery boards and treasurers to implement a low-burden quarterly reporting process.
Valley Cemetery trustees described practical work they perform, from installing underground systems to buying equipment and contracting occasional services. Board members said they have consolidated accounts and prepare regular expenditure reports; county staff suggested receiving a copy of the cemetery check register or a quarterly statement to meet the trustee oversight requirement without creating substantial extra work for volunteers.
The commission’s action is intended to satisfy the statutory requirement without imposing onerous new procedures on small volunteer-run cemetery districts; county attorney and staff will draft the petition and follow up with cemetery boards about how best to deliver quarterly financial summaries to the commission’s office.
What happens next: legal staff will prepare and file a petition with the district court to appoint the commissioners as trustees, and cemetery boards will coordinate with the county treasurer’s office to provide quarterly financial reports to the commission.
