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Benkelman Cemetery board asks Dundy County to consider taking over groundskeeping as longtime caretaker steps down
Summary
The Benkelman Cemetery Board asked the Dundy County Commissioners to consider assuming groundskeeping after long-time maintenance worker Bob Willis stops his duties at the end of May. The board said current cemetery revenues and insurance costs leave little capacity to pay a sexton.
Members of the Benkelman Cemetery Board told Dundy County commissioners on May 18 that the cemetery faces an uncertain future because there is no identified successor to long-time maintenance worker Bob Willis, who will stop performing maintenance at the end of May after 32 years.
The board said annual tax income for the cemetery is approximately $14,000 and insurance costs last year were $4,104.44, leaving limited funds to hire and retain a paid sexton even after recent increases in plot-purchase rates. The board asked whether the county would be willing to take on groundskeeping duties to make it easier to secure maintenance labor.
Chairman Sye Tecker said he wanted county staff to review cemetery budgeting information and bring findings back for discussion at a future meeting. No formal decision was made; commissioners scheduled the item for reconsideration at their next meeting.
The matter is one of local stewardship and affects cemetery upkeep, plot maintenance and family access to well-maintained burial grounds; the board emphasised continuity of care when Willis departs. The commissioners did not adopt any immediate funding changes or hires during the May 18 session.
