Loveland council moves to annex city-owned Hill Wagner Cemetery

The Loveland City Council on June 24 authorized the city manager and city solicitor to begin annexation of the Hill Wagner Cemetery, a 0.33-acre parcel the city now owns after a court transfer earlier this month.

City Manager Dave Kennedy told council the cemetery “actually had no owner” when local volunteers began restoration efforts; the county’s transfer to the city took place June 5. Kennedy said the parcel contains “over a 100” burials, including local leaders and Civil War-era soldiers, and that the Historic Preservation Planning Commission has designated the site as historic.

Kennedy said the annexation motion mirrors prior practice used for the Polkron sewer-plant property and noted the parcel already has access to State Route 48 granted by developer Joe Farrugi. He asked council to authorize the manager and solicitor to take necessary steps to add the cemetery to the city’s corporate boundary.

Council moved and seconded the authorization; the motion passed on a roll-call vote with all seven members present recorded as voting yes.

The action directs staff to proceed with the municipal annexation process; Kennedy indicated the step is administrative now that the court has transferred title. No new funding or construction timeline was approved at the meeting.

City staff and volunteers who have been working on the site will continue restoration and preservation activities while the annexation is processed, Kennedy said. The council did not take additional legislative action beyond authorizing the annexation steps.