A new law, passed by State Senator Steve McClure (R-Springfield) and State Representative Mike Coffey (R-Springfield), is designed to make sure that local cemeteries are served by board members that are selected by the communities where the cemeteries are located.
“This is a common-sense change to ensure that local officials pick those who serve on cemetery boards,” said Senator McClure. “These boards make important decisions that directly affect the cemeteries that serve their areas, so it’s important to make sure we have local voices in the decision-making process.”
For township cemeteries, under prior law, boards could only be appointed if there was a township collector, a position that most townships do not have. If there was no township collector, the appointments would default to the county, however, state law was confusing and many officials across the state did not realize that.
Under Senate Bill 1241, filed by Senator McClure at the request of a constituent, if there is no township collector, the township supervisor is allowed to make the cemetery board appointments. This ensures that these cemeteries will get the attention they need at the local level, which will help to address concerns from many communities across the state. The legislation was sponsored by Representative Coffey in the House.
“Our loved ones deserve to rest in maintained cemeteries and this legislation will allow local officials to ensure these grounds are properly managed,” said Representative Coffey.
The legislation was signed into law on August 1st.