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Historical society seeks county help to restore and maintain rural cemeteries
Summary
Billy Wilkerson of the Simpson County Historical Society asked the Fiscal Court for funding or oversight to locate, restore and maintain neglected rural cemeteries; the court discussed assigning oversight to a Cemetery Preservation Board and a possible inmate labor program with required legal signoffs.
Billy Wilkerson, representing the Simpson County Historical Society, asked the Fiscal Court on July 1 for assistance maintaining county cemeteries that have become overgrown or obscured by farmland. Wilkerson said he locates boundary lines, searches for headstones and resets markers but lacks the funds and capacity to do the work alone.
Court members discussed options including assigning oversight to the Cemetery Preservation Board and allocating county funds to contract companies to perform restoration work. Jailer Eric Vaughn suggested using an inmate-work program to help with maintenance but said the program would require approval from the county attorney and the judicial judge before proceeding.
Magistrates and the judge agreed to explore oversight and funding options. No formal appropriation or program was approved at the meeting; the item was recorded as a public presentation and discussion with direction to investigate potential oversight and funding paths.
