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Council weighs options to add 2.2 acres for Wisner cemetery as owner seeks $20,000 per acre
Summary
Councilman Barry Meyer told the council the landowner wants $20,000 per acre for land the city is considering to expand the cemetery; City Administrator Randy Woldt said the city needs about 2.2 acres and raised eminent-domain as a fallback; no purchase action was taken.
Councilman Barry Meyer told the Wisner City Council on May 4 that a landowner wants $20,000 per acre for property the city is considering buying to expand the municipal cemetery.
"The land owner wants $20,000.00 per acre," Meyer said, and the council discussed that the amount exceeds typical state purchase rates for crop ground. City Administrator and Utility Superintendent Randy Woldt said the city would need roughly 2.2 acres for another block of lots, which he estimated would serve the community for 50 to 75 years.
Woldt described the option of pursuing eminent domain if purchase negotiations fail, saying the city would need to file and that the court would appoint interested parties and real-estate experts, and that an appeal could become costly. "If it is appealed it could get costly but really don’t know how much it would cost if it went into district court," Woldt said. The council did not authorize filing for eminent domain during the meeting.
Woldt also reported there is about 20% of Block Twelve remaining for new lots and said the city must hire a land surveyor to set grave-site pins. He noted a grave site sells for $250 and the cost to dig a grave is $500. Councilman Meyer said he will talk to the landowner to attempt to reach an agreement and bring the matter back to a future council meeting.
No formal motion or vote on acquisition or appraisal was taken at the May 4 session.
