Delaware Cemetery Board to meet Dec. 9

Cemeteries hold the remains of treasured members of families, and may hold historical significance as well. Many small and older cemeteries lack sufficient funds for long-term care and maintenance because owners never established a perpetual care fund, or the prices they charged have not kept up with actual costs.

Efforts to restore those that fall into disrepair can become costly. That’s why the Distressed Cemetery Fund was established in 2009. The fund exists to provide for the preservation of cemeteries by supporting repair and improvement projects that are outside normal maintenance activities.

The Delaware Cemetery Board’s purpose is to register Delaware cemeteries, administer the Distressed Cemetery Fund, and refer complaints from the public to the appropriate agency. All theft or vandalism should immediately be reported to the local police. The board refers complaints to the police, Delaware Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Agency, or Better Business Bureau.

To date the Delaware Cemetery Board has awarded $120,169 in funding to 13 cemeteries (four of the 13 received funding twice, making a total of 17 awards). The maximum amount available from the fund to each cemetery is $10,000 every two years, but a financial assistance request must be matched with real dollars and/or documented volunteer hours.

Awards have been used to repair tombstones/monuments; repair or replace fences/stone walls/gates, landscaping; remove trees and brush; purchase or repair lawn equipment; purchase sheds, topsoil and seeding; and conduct perimeter surveys and plot plans.

The Distressed Cemetery Fund is funded by adding $2 to the fee established for each copy of a death certificate. Individuals and organizations may also make contributions or bequests to the fund.

The next Delaware Cemetery Board meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 9, in the Dover Public Library, Meeting Room B (first floor). The board will set its 2016 meeting dates, and an executive session will be held to discuss two applications for Distressed Cemetery Fund monies.

The five members of the Delaware Cemetery Board are appointed by the secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services, with administrative support provided by the Division of Public Health. In addition to administering the fund, the board is authorized to: Promulgate rules and regulations for the registration of cemeteries; designate a cemetery as distressed based on standards set forth in the rules and regulations; authorize payment to a distressed cemetery from the fund; require a thorough accounting of each recipient's use of money from the fund; receive and forward to appropriate agencies of the state or other organizations, complaints from any person relating to a Delaware cemetery; and address specific cemetery issues as requested by the governor or the General Assembly.

Registration is required for all cemeteries in Delaware every five years. To learn about registering a cemetery, or for more information on the Distressed Cemetery Fund, go to dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/hp/DECB.html.