Commissioners discuss cemetery water, mowing and city offer to assume maintenance duties

Daniels County commissioners discussed persistent water and irrigation issues at the county cemetery and a proposal from the city to provide water, mowing and equipment in exchange for reimbursement.

A county official told the commission she had discussed options with the city, which offered to provide water at its cost and to perform mowing and maintenance if the county signed a contract and reimbursed the city’s expenses. The county official said the city has staff and equipment already available and that taking over those duties could save the county near-term labor and capital costs. Commissioners raised questions about the cemetery’s existing mill levy that funds some equipment purchases and asked for clarification on how transfers of duties would affect those reserves.

Meeting speakers described multiple, specific operational problems at the cemetery: the new cemetery had irrigation spigots that were reportedly removed, the old cemetery irrigation system that had been installed previously was not working, and some board members had been reluctant to water because of perceived ongoing costs. Commissioners and staff discussed options including a simple pump in the well if municipal water proved unreliable, installing an irrigation square that would require more volume of water, or having the city assume water duties and mowing under a contract.

The county official said she was not asking the commission to make a decision immediately but wanted the board to be aware of options; commissioners instructed staff to collect more detail—including the dollar amounts in the cemetery district account, the mill levy history, and contract terms—before taking action.