The Perpetual Care Board met on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 1 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall to discuss an available grant, clarify a board member ordinance, and hear new business.
Tina Cole from the Northwest Arkansas Economic Development District (NWAEDD) spoke about a grant available for Rose Hill Cemetery is $5,000 with an 80/20 percent match. She is willing to write the letter of intent, due before Nov. 11, and the full grant application is due sometime in March 2026. The grant is part of the Arkansas Historic Preservation grant program and is done through an online portal. This grant is made possible because of many people to get Rose Hill listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
The committee requested that a plaque be added denoting the History Registry status at the cemetery's entrance. The plaque has been delivered to the City’s maintenance department and will be installed soon. A dedication service is desired for the future, but a date has not yet been set.
Board member and the City’s CFO, Luke Feighert, proposed a new ordinance for the perpetual care board. “One of the changes allows us to show that we manage the fund within the city's accounting framework instead of keeping separate records. Second, the old code we have contains the names of people who are no longer with us. The updated version keeps it very vague on purpose. The board will include one active member of the 20th Century Club, the chairman will be a council member and the city's finance director, and then two at-large positions.”
Feighert also suggested the possibility of staggering terms. “The committee members currently have four-year terms. If you’d like to stagger that, we can. We must re-nominate or appoint, at least for the first four terms. So we’ve got it written down.”
“The third section is a cleanup of the ordinance. In the past, we’ve only been able to spend our profits. I’d change that to spend what is needed. Sometimes we have to spend more than the account earned, and the city would be liable for that balance. The most significant change is that the perpetual care fund covers all expenses. At some point, if the account ever went to zero, which I don’t expect to happen, the city would have to cover those expenses. This doesn’t have to be voted on today, but at some point, we need to vote on this new ordinance or any changes before it goes to the city council.”
Chairman Larry Phillips said, “Perpetual care is supposed to make a report to the Council every January, and if we could be ready for January, that would be good.”
There was a discussion about the lawn care contract. Tim Holt, who is in charge of cemetery/conservation, said, “Contracts go out next year. They currently have an option to add another year.”
Feighert said they will request bids for the next mowing contract for the following mowing season in September or October 2026.