The Eureka Springs Cemetery Commission is planning to put together a proposal to ask for an increase in the amount it receives from the city to help boost the pay for a revamped sexton position, a role that’s been vacant for many months.

At their monthly meeting Wednesday, Sept. 13, commissioners discussed ways they could make the position more attractive.

“We desperately need to get a sexton,” commission chair LB Wilson said. “Finding someone we can afford is the main thing. Finding someone interested, period, and then finding someone we can afford.”

In the past, the position was paid only on a commission basis, receiving a percentage of each plot sold. In recent months the job was taken on by members of the commission, including Wilson.

“In the past it was 20 percent for sales,” Wilson said. “That’s not enough anymore.”

The city currently funds 64 hours for two parttime groundskeepers, along with $10,000 for cemetery expenses, commissioners said.

One possibility is having whoever is hired as sexton also work a set number of hours in the cemetery office, answering the phone and doing paperwork.

“The thought is, they’d do sexton duties, sell plots and the paperwork that goes into it, deeds and record,” commissioner Glenna Booth said. “They’d also spend time in the office because we don’t have the office manned and we do have a phone number and email address.”

Wilson said it’s a decision that needs to be made soon as the city will look at next year’s budget in the next couple of months.

“Between now and the first of the year I think we need to come up with a firm, agreed-upon sexton job and then see if we can work with the city to maybe increase the budget they give us to compensate for some of that,” Wilson said.

Commissioners hope to make a decision on the issue at their October meeting.

“The city will be doing the budget in early November so we should have our ask ready in October,” Booth said. “… Before we ask for money we need to track what we’re spending right now. The city gives us $10,000 a year right now in addition to paying for our two groundskeepers and we’d like to increase the $10,000 to $12,000 because of expenses.”

Commissioner David Danvers said whatever the proposal is, he hopes the city in on board.

“This has to be something that we’ve got to convince Butch [Berry], the mayor, to want to move forward on,” Danvers said. “We’re stymied right now. LB can’t continue to do this. … We’ve got to have somebody in that office.

“It all makes sense and we’ve got to do this convincingly to get this approved when they do the budget in November when they do the budget review.”