Batesville’s two cemeteries not city owned

There are clarifications needed about the two cemeteries that lie between Eureka Street and Highway 51.
Batesville Magnolia Cemetery is owned by a non-profit corporation formed in 1886 and operates nominally under a board of directors.
The second cemetery, designated in the Pan Gens Panola Cemeteries directory as “Batesville Black Cemetery,” is also governed by board of directors.
Neither is nor has ever been city-owned nor is the city allowed by law to maintain them since they are not city property.
Last winter, representatives of both cemetery boards indicated that they would very much like for the city to take over ownership of the properties and consolidate them into one, city-owned cemetery. The mayor and aldermen spent considerable time during meetings in February discussing that possibility but took no action. They agreed to talk with other municipalities that own cemeteries to learn more about it.
In those conversations with mayors and aldermen from cemetery-owning municipalities, Batesville leaders apparently found little reason to rush into the cemetery business. There are no tangible advantages. There is much work, expense and headache involved.
But apparently our reports of last February’s meetings between city and cemetery officials has been misinterpreted or misconstrued to lead people to believe that maintenance of the cemeteries has become the city’s responsibility. It has not.
For that to happen, the city and cemetery boards must navigate difficult legal terrain and strategy to form a plan to make a transition.
For that to happen, city leaders must be convinced that enough Batesville citizens want this to justify making the decision.
Then Batesville taxpayers must be prepared — and this should not be taken lightly — to subsidize the expense of reclaiming and landscaping that would be required to consolidate the two properties into the attractive, park-like  grounds that we wish for and also to continually maintain them at that level.