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Washington County commission weighs whether to take over Providence Cemetery in Madison Township
Summary
The Washington County Cemetery Commission discussed a resident's request to transfer upkeep of Providence Cemetery to the county, citing uncertain ownership, potential liability and limited budgets; the commission agreed to forward the matter to county commissioners and to keep the mowing budget at last year's level.
The Washington County Cemetery Commission spent the bulk of its meeting debating whether the county should assume maintenance of Providence Cemetery in Madison Township, concluding it would forward the request to the Washington County commissioners with a recommendation that the county not take the cemetery on because of ownership and fiscal concerns.
The chair of the commission led the presentation on Providence Cemetery, saying a resident, Phil Marshall, reported that "it looked like it hadn't been mowed for about a year" and that the site "is 1.4 acres" with "about 115 headstones." He told members the property-assessment card lists ownership as "Providence Methodist episcopal cemetery" but said he did not know whether the church still exists.
Why it matters: commissioners and trustees across Washington County manage a long list of small, often aging cemetery sites; accepting ownership would create recurring maintenance costs and legal steps to transfer deeded ownership or access trust funds.
Members pressed practical questions about cost and authority. The chair warned that transferring ownership requires deeds, signatures and time, and that Indiana code can require trust funds for perpetual maintenance — a potential "showstopper." A committee member who reviewed the matter said there may be a limited exception for private family cemeteries smaller than 10 acres, saying, "If it is less than 10 acres and used for private family" some requirements have been interpreted differently by state agencies.
Fundraising and volunteer alternatives were also discussed. The clerk said the commission raises money with two barbecues a year to support cemetery upkeep and noted volunteer groups have organized mowing and stone work at large abandoned sites elsewhere.
Members gave differing estimates for how many cemeteries the county tracks: the chair said roughly 220, the clerk said close to 250, and another member cited about 270. The chair said auditing ownership across the inventory would be a major undertaking and that the commission lacks the bandwidth to do it now.
Action and next steps: the commission agreed to forward the request about Providence Cemetery to the county commissioners and asked the chair to report the commission's view that it would not be fiscally responsible for the county to assume maintenance, given the cemetery's size and uncertain ownership. The chair also said he would instruct contractor Andrew to proceed under the existing mowing budget. The commission did not complete a formal, recorded vote on accepting the cemetery; instead members reached consensus to refer the matter.
Votes at a glance: - Motion to approve minutes: moved by a committee member, seconded by the clerk; an aye was recorded (detailed tally not specified). - Motion to adjourn: moved by a committee member, seconded by another member; an aye was recorded (detailed tally not specified).
The commission will pass its discussion and recommendation to the Washington County commissioners for a final decision; the chair said he will speak with Todd (county staff/official referenced in the meeting) before forwarding the recommendation.
