Swain County hears proposal to create county cemetery maintenance crew, estimates initial cost of about $254,000

Miss Elise, a member of the Swain County Heritage Board, urged the Swain County Board of Commissioners on April 22 to establish a county-run cemetery maintenance crew to address what she described as widespread neglect of private and community burial grounds.

"I hope you'll look at this and think about this because I think it's time that we did something. Our cemeteries are in really bad shape," Miss Elise told commissioners during the budget work session.

The proposal grew from the Heritage Board’s outreach to Graham County, which the speaker said has maintained its cemeteries since 1957 by funding a dedicated crew. Miss Elise presented two preliminary options: a five-person crew with a start-up estimate of about $254,053 to cover vehicle(s), trailer, fuel, mower and other equipment plus salaries, or a smaller three-person pilot to begin work while the county refines scope and costs.

Miss Elise said the plan would include limits and exceptions so the county would not assume routine upkeep for every burial site. She proposed excluding cemeteries on the federally recognized reservation (which care for their own sites), cemeteries located inside parks that require separate permissions, and sites with very few graves. "Set a limit on the number of graves, a limit of at least a hundred graves in a cemetery before we would maintain it," she said.

Residents who spoke during the discussion described several local cemeteries in need of maintenance and said voluntary caretakers are aging. Kenneth, a resident who described joining cleanup efforts, said, "It needs a lot of work." Commissioners and staff noted implementation questions: whether to create a separate cemetery crew or expand the county building-and-grounds department, how to supervise seasonal or temporary hires, and whether heavy equipment would require outside contracts.

Funding possibilities were discussed but not decided. Miss Elise suggested the county might consider using proceeds from a local North Shore settlement to start the program. Commissioners and staff also mentioned temporary summer hires as a lower-cost option and the potential to cross-train staff to assist building-and-grounds work in slow seasons.

The board did not take formal action; the chair said the proposal would be considered as the budget process continues. Commissioners asked staff to gather more information, including a list of cemeteries and contact information for their caretakers, and to refine cost estimates before the next budget meetings.

Ending: The cemetery maintenance proposal will move into the budget review process; commissioners scheduled further budget work sessions in May and asked staff to provide updated cost and scope details ahead of those meetings.