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Fort Branch resident proposes tax credit to help maintain Gibson County’s historic cemeteries
Summary
Mark Ferenbacher presented photos of neglected gravesites and proposed a voluntary cemetery maintenance tax credit to help private owners pay for extraordinary repairs; he cited Indiana Code 23‑14‑78‑4 and recommended DNR approval and public access as conditions.
Mark Ferenbacher of Fort Branch urged the Gibson County Council to consider a targeted tax credit to preserve historic cemeteries that private owners cannot afford to maintain. He presented photographs of four local cemeteries, saying some are well kept while others “need a little love.”
Ferenbacher described the proposal as a 10% cemetery credit to subsidize extraordinary maintenance—“replace monuments, repair the fence,” he said—while excluding routine mowing. He acknowledged legal limits on county authority but cited Indiana Code 23‑14‑78‑4 to show owners and trustees have statutory duties to repair and maintain burial grounds. “I’m just looking at a way to try and help the individual help maintain that property,” he said.
Ferenbacher suggested conditions for any credit: work would have to be approved by the state historic‑preservation authority within the Department of Natural Resources, public access would be required for sites receiving public dollars, and the county could set a per‑project cap (he suggested a limit such as $100,000). He emphasized the goal of keeping cemeteries from being abandoned and potentially turning responsibility over to townships.
Council members asked legal and jurisdictional questions during the exchange. One councilmember said the law is “very specific to cemeteries and trustees’ offices” and recommended seeking legal guidance and coordinating with township trustees before pursuing county action. Ferenbacher acknowledged the need for legal review and framed his appearance as a suggestion rather than a formal request for immediate action.
The council did not take a vote on the proposal; members instructed staff to research legal authority and potential models from other jurisdictions before bringing a formal measure back to the council.
