City administrators are asking city council to fund an additional worker who could help maintain Marietta's cemeteries.
The request is coming after residents with loved ones buried at the sites complained about weeds, high grass and broken grave markers. Some say they had to use a weed eater at Oak Grove Cemetery before they could visit the graves of family members.
We think another worker is necessary. The department has gone from four workers to two in recent years and the shape of the cemeteries is an indication that two isn't enough.
When people choose a final resting place for a loved one, they expect the area to be cared for. It's the city's responsibility to make sure that is happening in these cemeteries.
It's a difficult time to add employees, with municipal budgets stretched tight across the state and nation. But this is an area where it's important to get the job done and show respect to those buried in the city.
If three workers aren't necessary for the cemeteries year-round, perhaps that individual could be utilized in another department where there is also a lack of manpower.
Either way, adding a worker, even a part-time worker, seems like it's something to which the city needs to dedicate funds.
