DAVENPORT, Iowa – After years of financial hardships, Fairmount Cemetery in Davenport is now under new management.
The cemetery is now owned by the Iowa Insurance Division, a state department in charge of administering Iowa’s cemetery laws.
The department was awarded ownership of the cemetery by a court order after the previous owners, a group of board directors, were unable to afford the expenses.
“You struggle with income because you have to have burial income, plot and sale income…. if you become short on that then unfortunately the maintenance suffers first," says Cemetery Supervisor, Carvel Morgan.
The state of Iowa is now working with Pine Hill Cemetery Association to keep Fairmount running smoothly.
“We're in charge of the whole operation of the cemetery, taking the phone calls, taking the income from the sales (then) we report everything to the state,” says Morgan.
Under the Cemetery Management Agreement, the state will pay $4,687.50 a week to Pine Hill Cemetery Association to maintain Fairmount cemetery.
The agreement between the Pine Hill Cemetery Association and the state is up for renewal in November.