A Pioneer Cemetery as defined by the State of Iowa as a cemetery having from six or fewer burials in the preceding 50 years. Below is the Iowa Code and the amendment. As you can see, most of these Decatur Cemeteries Nancee is photographing qualifies under Iowa Code. Next step for Decatur County? Do they have a Pioneer Cemetery Commission? The Manchester/Meeker Cemeteries - What a sad sight. The Bear Cemetery in Ringgold County looks like that - waaaaaaaaaaay back in the woods and not visible from the road - nor is there a sign. But the Bear family has maintained it so it is great condition. They replaced lost stones with a communal stone. (scroll down to see the photographs I took there & the communal stone.) A man who does metal work & lives in the Tingley-Diagonal area made the cemetery gate for the family. Had it not been for the family taking me there via tractor I would have never found this cemetery in a million years. http://iagenweb.org/ringgold/cemeteries/bear_transcript.html Sharon Iowa Code 331.325 Control and maintenance of pioneer cemeteries--cemetery commission. 1. As used in this section, "pioneer cemetery" means a cemetery where there have been six or fewer burials in the preceding fifty years. 2. Each county board of supervisors may adopt an ordinance assuming jurisdiction and control of pioneer cemeteries in the county. The board shall exercise the powers and duties of township trustees relating to the maintenance and repair of cemeteries in the county as provided in sections 359.28 through 359.41 except that the board shall not certify a tax levy pursuant to section 359.30 or 359.33 and except that the maintenance and repair of all cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the county including pioneer cemeteries shall be paid from the county general fund. The maintenance and improvement program for a pioneer cemetery may include restoration and management of native prairie grasses and wildflowers. 3. In lieu of management of the cemeteries, the board of supervisors may create, by ordinance, a cemetery commission to assume jurisdiction and management of the pioneer cemeteries in the county. The ordinance shall delineate the number of commissioners, the appointing authority, the term of office, officers, employees, organizational matters, rules of procedure, compensation and expenses, and other matters deemed pertinent by the board. The board may delegate any power and duties relating to cemeteries which may otherwise be exercised by township trustees pursuant to sections 359.28 through 359.41 to the cemetery commission except the commission shall not certify a tax levy pursuant to section 359.30 or 359.33 and except that the expenses of the cemetery commission shall be paid from the county general fund. 4. Notwithstanding sections 359.30 and 359.33, the costs of management, repair, and maintenance of pioneer cemeteries shall be paid from the county general fund. 359.33 Tax for nonowned cemetery. They may levy a tax not to exceed six and three-fourths cents per thousand dollars of assessed value of taxable property to improve and maintain any cemetery not owned by the township, provided the same is devoted to general public use. -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. We are a community of 7 million users fighting spam. SPAMfighter has removed 1370 of my spam emails to date. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len The Professional version does not have this message

Decatur County does not have a Pioneer Cemetery Commisssion as of yet. Bob Bixby ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sharon Becker" <srbecker@iowatelecom.net> To: <IADECATU-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2010 12:18 PM Subject: [IADECATU] Pioneer Cemetery, Decatur County >A Pioneer Cemetery as defined by the State of Iowa as a cemetery having >from six or fewer burials in the preceding 50 years. Below is the Iowa Code >and the amendment. As you can see, most of these > Decatur Cemeteries Nancee is photographing qualifies under Iowa Code. > > Next step for Decatur County? Do they have a Pioneer Cemetery Commission? > > The Manchester/Meeker Cemeteries - What a sad sight. > > The Bear Cemetery in Ringgold County looks like that - waaaaaaaaaaay back > in > the woods and not visible from the road - nor is there a sign. But the > Bear family has maintained it > so it is great condition. They replaced lost stones with a communal stone. > (scroll down to see > the photographs I took there & the communal stone.) A man who does metal > work & lives in > the Tingley-Diagonal area made the cemetery gate for the family. Had it > not been for the > family taking me there via tractor I would have never found this cemetery > in a million years. > > http://iagenweb.org/ringgold/cemeteries/bear_transcript.html > > Sharon > > > Iowa Code > 331.325 Control and maintenance of pioneer cemeteries--cemetery > commission. > 1. As used in this section, "pioneer cemetery" means a cemetery where > there have been six or fewer burials in the preceding fifty years. > > 2. Each county board of supervisors may adopt an ordinance assuming > jurisdiction and control of pioneer cemeteries in the county. The board > shall exercise the powers and duties of township trustees relating to the > maintenance and repair of cemeteries in the county as provided in sections > 359.28 through 359.41 except that the board shall not certify a tax levy > pursuant to section 359.30 or 359.33 and except that the maintenance and > repair of all cemeteries under the jurisdiction of the county including > pioneer cemeteries shall be paid from the county general fund. The > maintenance and improvement program for a pioneer cemetery may include > restoration and management of native prairie grasses and wildflowers. > > 3. In lieu of management of the cemeteries, the board of supervisors may > create, by ordinance, a cemetery commission to assume jurisdiction and > management of the pioneer cemeteries in the county. The ordinance shall > delineate the number of commissioners, the appointing authority, the term > of office, officers, employees, organizational matters, rules of > procedure, compensation and expenses, and other matters deemed pertinent > by the board. The board may delegate any power and duties relating to > cemeteries which may otherwise be exercised by township trustees pursuant > to sections 359.28 through 359.41 to the cemetery commission except the > commission shall not certify a tax levy pursuant to section 359.30 or > 359.33 and except that the expenses of the cemetery commission shall be > paid from the county general fund. > > 4. Notwithstanding sections 359.30 and 359.33, the costs of management, > repair, and maintenance of pioneer cemeteries shall be paid from the > county general fund. > > 359.33 Tax for nonowned cemetery. > They may levy a tax not to exceed six and three-fourths cents per thousand > dollars of assessed value of taxable property to improve and maintain any > cemetery not owned by the township, provided the same is devoted to > general public use. > > > -- > I am using the free version of SPAMfighter. > We are a community of 7 million users fighting spam. > SPAMfighter has removed 1370 of my spam emails to date. > Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len > > The Professional version does not have this message > www.iagenweb.org/decatur > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > IADECATU-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message