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Council directs staff to pursue grant partnership with Wylie Cemetery Association for grounds maintenance
Summary
After a work session, council members agreed to pursue a funding partnership to help the Wylie Cemetery Association cover annual mowing and maintenance costs and asked staff to draft an agreement for future council action.
Wylie — The Wylie City Council on Aug. 12 held a work session with the Wylie Cemetery Association to discuss options for long-term ground maintenance at the Wylie and Kramer cemeteries. Council members expressed support for a funding partnership rather than the city directly taking over maintenance.
Sander Stone, who identified herself as president of the Wylie Cemetery Association, outlined the association's financial picture and needs. She said the association currently has about $211,000 on hand; year-to-date 2025 lot sales were $6,600 and donations $500. She said mowing for 2025 has cost about $47,500 to date. For 2024 she reported lot sales of $28,050, donations of $5,475 and mowing costs of $42,600.
Stone said the cemeteries are roughly 13 acres across four tracts near Masters Oak by the Allen Funeral Home, are not perpetual-care cemeteries, and rely on donations and lot sales for maintenance. She described additional needs: mapping and digitizing records, replacing or raising sinking markers, installing permanent markers where temporary markers have deteriorated, and addressing erosion along a north tree line where stormwater is washing toward burial areas. She said the association purchased cemetery-management software for "well over $5,000" and pays about $1,200 per year for maintenance of that software.
City staff member Miss Ollie summarized options the city had examined, including: (1) the city taking maintenance in-house (staff said this would draw staff time and likely require additional equipment); (2) contracting directly with a mowing contractor under city oversight; or (3) funding the cemetery association so the association continues to manage and contract for maintenance (the association's preferred option). Brent Parker, a staff member in attendance, said his opinion was that “the best option would be for the cemetery association to maintain their contractor” and for the city to provide funding through an arrangement the city attorney would review.
Council members expressed concern about long-term sustainability. Mayor Pro Tem Gino Malice and Councilmen David R. Duke and Dave Strang all said they favored providing funding to support maintenance while retaining the association as the operational manager. Council members asked staff to work with the association and city attorneys to draft an agreement (described as a grant-like funding arrangement) that would fund maintenance while preserving oversight and reporting back to council.
No formal ordinance or resolution was adopted at the meeting. Staff said it will prepare draft contract/grant language and return to council for consideration.
Why it matters: The cemeteries contain burials dating to the mid-1800s and include founding families of the city; records are incomplete and mapping needs remain. Association leaders warned that without ongoing funding the association could deplete its funds and the cemeteries could become abandoned, which would move responsibility and costs to the city.
What comes next: Staff will draft funding language, consult the city attorney, and return a proposed agreement to council for review and a possible future vote. The council indicated support for an ongoing funding mechanism rather than a one-year Band-Aid approach.
