Center Township trustee seeks $300,000 from Grant County for restoration of Estates of Serenity Cemetery; council takes no action

Center Township trustee Deb King asked the Grant County Council for a one-time $300,000 contribution to help build a perpetual-care trust to restore and maintain the Estates of Serenity Cemetery, but the council did not take action on the request.

King told the council she and volunteers have been restoring cemetery grounds since taking possession by court order in July and described large-scale deferred maintenance. She said the cemetery contains more than 50,000 headstones and multiple mausoleums and that a perpetual-care target minimum would be $3,000,000 with a long-term goal of $6,000,000. King said the largest mausoleum alone has restoration cost estimates of roughly $195,600 to $274,400.

King said she already holds roughly $300,000 in a perpetual fund transferred from the former owners accounts and that the city of Marion has pledged $300,000; she asked the county to add $300,000 to help create a stable foundation for immediate maintenance and to leverage other grants and private fundraising. King described the cemetery as part county property and said survey and boundary records are complicated; she reported that a county parcel map (Elevation/Elevate) does not match on-the-ground surveys and that a professional survey is underway.

Council members described fiscal strain and competing demands in the county budget, including unexpected out-of-county inmate housing costs and a commissioners' wish list of capital requests. One council member explained the council could not unilaterally commit county funds without a motion and the support of a majority and noted the county faces several large budget pressures this year. With no motion made, Kings request "died" on the floor.

Public comment: Dozens of residents and community leaders urged the council to fund the cemetery. Speakers included veterans, descendants of people buried at Estates of Serenity, and civic volunteers who described decades of neglect, vandalism and missing trust funds dating to the 1990s. One commenter said a prior cemetery manager had embezzled $7 million; King and others said the perpetual fund was largely depleted when she assumed control and that families had long complained about poor care.

Why it matters: King framed the request as a preservation and dignity issue for residents and descendants across the county; supporters said the cemetery contains historically significant graves and veterans and argued county resources should help restore and protect the site. Council members acknowledged the moral and historical claims but said the county must prioritize within limited available funds.

Outcome: The council did not vote to allocate county funds; King and supporters said they will continue fundraising, pursue grants and complete survey work. Members of the public urged the council to revisit the request in future budget discussions.