At Monday’s city council meeting, the Summerville City Council voted 3-1 to charge $500 for burials at the Summerville Cemetery.  That move has some people who have purchased burial plots upset that they will now have to pay the fee, even though they have already purchased burial plots.

The city took over the cemetery at the request of the Summerville Cemetery Corporation due to dwindling funds to provide for the upkeep of the cemetery.  The same problems that the cemetery corporation faced are now causing city officials to institute the new fee.  The only revenue for the cemetery is the sale of burial plots – many of which were sold decades ago.  With no new sources of revenue coming in, the city council voted to start charging for burials.

Summerville City Councilman Joe Money was one of the council members in favor of the new fee.  Money told WZQZ News, “This is a one-time fee the Cemetery Corporation put in for any Maintenance or mowing needed. Plot fees aren’t frequent enough to pay for these. This $500 will be used to help pay for city employees time working in the cemetery and any tree work, mowing or any other maintenance needed in the cemetery. It’s really a bargain when you look at the big picture. Citizen’s loved ones will have a nice weed eated and mowed cemetery to rest in peace in from now on”.

Councilman Rickey Hughes was the lone council member to vote against the measure.  Hughes told WZQZ, “Well I couldn’t really justify charging someone for using something they already owned and I couldn’t really get a definite answer as to what it is for. Therefore, I voted no on adopting the rules”.