Wayne Township residents heading to the polls for the Tuesday, Nov. 2 election will vote on a new levy for maintenance of the township cemetery.

The proposed additional levy is a 0.25-mill, five-year levy.

“Technically, we do have a cemetery fund, but the fund is basically from the collection of money from the sales of cemetery plots,” said Wayne Township Trustee David Batson. “It’s really not something that generates a lot of money. But cemeteries are very expensive to run and we have two guys who work in the cemetery — one mows and one weed-eats. They are hourly employees and they do a fantastic job.”

The township general fund essentially pays for the cemetery maintenance and upkeep, according to Batson. However, cemetery maintenance now and in the future is an expensive proposition.

“We’re trying to foresee into the future with additional expenses,” Batson said. “The cemetery is going to need paved, we have trees that are going to have to be removed. We’ve been removing trees here and there and those are extremely expensive.”

If passed, this quarter-mill levy will generate approximately $11,000 a year beginning in 2022.

“Just from what we pay our guys, I’m going to guess the salaries are around $10,000 a year just for the upkeep,” Batson said. “So this levy doesn’t really solve our problem completely, but it’s going to help.”

The Wayne Township Trustees are encouraging residents to come out and vote for the levy.

“We’re proud of our cemetery and we want to keep it looking good now and in the future,” Batson said.

Early voting at the Fayette County Board of Elections office, 135 S. Main St. in Washington Court House, runs through 2 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 1. Polls are open Tuesday, Nov. 2 from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Make sure to check your polling location with the local board of elections.

Reach Record-Herald Editor Ryan Carter at 740-313-0352.