157.50 Municipal cemeteries.
(1) Municipalities may acquire by gift, purchase or condemnation land for cemeteries within or without their boundaries. In the case of towns acquisition and price must be authorized by the town meeting.
(2) The governing body of every municipality acquiring a cemetery shall by ordinance determine the system of management and operation. Any municipality may proceed under s. 157.07, 157.08 or 157.11 (7), or otherwise as provided by ordinance.
(3) Upon organization of a cemetery association to take over a municipal cemetery, the municipality may convey real property and all funds and other personal property to the association. In towns the conveyance must be authorized by the town meeting.
(4) When a town cemetery becomes embraced within a city or village, it shall be managed as though acquired thereby.
(5) The town meeting may authorize the town board to appropriate up to $500 in any year for the improvement of the town cemetery, under supervision of the town board.
(6) Any municipality that creates a care fund shall invest the money received for care as provided by ch. 881. The municipality may terminate the care fund, transferring the money to its general fund, if the municipality owns the cemetery and provides all maintenance expenses in perpetuity for those graves in the cemetery at the time of termination.
History: 1971 c. 41 s. 12; 1979 c. 254; 1983 a. 532; 1989 a. 307.