City of Lake Mills
William R. Hartwig Cemetery Superintendent picture
200 D Water Street, Lake Mills, WI 53551
(920) 648-2344 & (920) 648-2456 FAX: (920) 648-2347
Rock Lake Cemetery is located at 369 West Pine St.
Cemetery Lot Owner Rights & Duties
1. The owners of lots wishing to make improvements to their lots must consult with the Cemetery Sexton before making any such improvement. (No trees or shrubbery will be allowed on a single grave, Municipal Code 7-6-6 D)
2. The cemetery reserves to itself the entire control of every tree, shrub, vine or plant growing within its boundaries whether planted by the lot owner or otherwise, including the right of removal and the right of determining whether such removal is advisable.
3. Winter decorations, holly, evergreen or artificial wreaths may be placed on graves to remain until April 5. After such date all such decorations shall be removed. If any are to be kept for future use, they should be removed by the owners before such date.
4. Glass receptacles for cut or artificial flowers shall not be used on any grave, nor shall fragile receptacles be used as a container.
5. All receptacles and watering utensils for flowers shall be removed from the lots before November 1. If owners wish any to be kept for future use, they must remove them before that date. In no event will the cemetery or its agents be responsible for articles lost or articles placed on the lot.
6. Urns or vases which are to be filled with earth and growing plants must be constructed of durable material such as cement or cast iron. They must be kept in good repair, and iron vases must be properly painted. Broken or unpainted urns or vases and vases that have not received care for two (2) consecutive years may be removed at the discretion of the Cemetery Sexton, and neither the cemetery nor its agents assume any responsibility for their care or return.
7. The placing of boxes, shelves, ornaments, chairs, settees, glass, wood or iron cases and similar articles upon a lot shall not be permitted, and if so placed, the Cemetery Sexton is authorized to remove the same.
8. The planting of tall growth perennials on graves will not be permitted. No tree or shrub, flower, flower bed or plant shall be planted, no urn, marker or monument should be placed or removed or any other improvement made on the grave without first obtaining the approval of the Sexton. If any person sets out plants on a lot or single grave in an unsightly manner or fails to properly care for them, the Sexton may cause them to be removed and the bed or grave to be sodded over.
9. The Cemetery Sexton is authorized to remove anything which is in violation of the cemetery rules or which is detrimental to the general welfare of the cemetery. If the same is not removed after a five (5) days written notice addressed to the last known address of the registered owner, the Sexton shall remove such objectionable object and the expense incurred in removing the same shall be charged against the lot owner.
10. All repairs or replacement of any foundation, marker or monument, the cleaning of monuments or stones, any special work, the planting of flowers or plants, are not included in perpetual care. Special endowments may be created in the perpetual fund for this purpose.
PERPETUAL CARE - The cutting of grass at reasonable intervals, the raking and cleaning of the lot or grave, the pruning of the shrubs and trees, and such work as may be necessary to keep the lot or grave in good and neat condition in a manner as is now regularly done upon the lots and graves.
From Lake Mills Municipal Code 7-6-6 and 7-6-7, as of January, 1994. These are subject to change from time-to-time by the City Council.
ROCK LAKE CEMETERY - CITY OF LAKE MILLS - Rules, Rights & Regulations
Rock Lake Cemetery is owned and operated by the City of Lake Mills for the benefit of all citizens in accordance with the Lake Mills Municipal Code, Chapter 6, and Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 157 to insure proper maintenance and beauty and to prevent abuse and destruction. The City reserves the right to amend or change any of these rules or regulations without notice to conform with newly developed cemetery practices.
SALE OF GRAVE SPACE
Grave spaces sold are done so with the understanding and agreement that:
1. Title, when transferred by deed from the City of Lake Mills, vests in the grantees and their heirs the right to use the grave space for burial purposes only.
2. All grave spaces are sold with perpetual maintenance care, which includes the cutting of grass at reasonable intervals, raking and cleaning of the grave space, pruning of shrubs and trees, and such work as may be necessary for a neat appearance.
3. Sale or transfer of a grave space title by the person(s) of record must be completed and recorded by the Cemetery Superintendent. On the death of the person(s) of record, title of unused grave spaces under his/her name shall descend to the owner's heirs, but any one or more of such heirs may convey to any other heir his/her interest in the grave spaces.
4. Person(s) of record wanting to sell their unoccupied grave spaces must sell or transfer those lots by Quit Claim deed back to the City of Lake Mills. The person(s) of record will receive 90% of the original purchase price of the grave space and the full price of the endowment fee.
5. No deed will be executed until the purchase price of the grave space(s) shall be paid in full.
6. If sale is because of a death, all grave spaces must be paid for at the time of sale by the purchaser or by the funeral home.
INTERMENTS
Grave spaces in Rock Lake Cemetery shall be used only for the interment of human remains, as a location for an approved marker or monument, and for the planting of suitable and approved flowers, shrubs or trees, if approved by the Cemetery Superintendent.
Each grave space shall be occupied by the remains of only one individual with the following exceptions:
1. Mother or Father and infant.
2. Mother or Father and one cremains.
3. Two cremated cremains.
The records of sections, lots, and grave spaces as recorded in the cemetery office shall be considered valid and graves so reported shall not be changed nor disturbed, except by complying with disinterment procedures.
The City of Lake Mills and Rock Lake Cemetery are not responsible for error occurring by reason of transmission of orders by telephone nor from the lack of precise or complete instructions and shall have the right to correct any error that may be made by it, either in making interments, disinterments or removal, or in the description, transfer or conveyance of any interment property, either by canceling such conveyance and substituting and conveying in lieu thereof other interment property of equal value and similar location as far as possible or as may be selected by the Cemetery Superintendent.
The Cemetery Superintendent will determine and locate the vault opening upon the grave space. The selection and opening of the grave will be made at the Cemetery 's own discretion when proper instruction as to location are not given or when such procedure is necessary in order for a funeral not to be delayed. At least sixteen working hours are required to insure a grave opening will be ready for services at a given time.
Service charges for all anticipated work necessary to open and close the vault opening and any unpaid endowment fees must be paid in advance.
DISINTERMENTS
All disinterments and necessary permits are to be arranged through a Wisconsin licensed funeral director. Copies of all the necessary permits shall be forwarded to the Cemetery Superintendent for approval before any disinterment procedures commence. A deposit of an amount estimated by the Cemetery Superintendent to meet the expenses of the disinterment, removal and restoration shall be made at the time of application.
PLANTINGS
In order to insure a uniform appearance and minimize maintenance, all proposed shrub and bush plantings are subject to the approval of the Cemetery Superintendent and shall conform to the following principles:
1. All prickly, thorny or spreading shrubs are not permitted and will be removed.
2. All proposed shrubs are subject to the approval of the Cemetery Superintendent.
3. No shrub shall exceed 36-inches in height or extend onto any abutting grave space.
4. Glass receptacles for cut or artificial flowers are not permitted.
5. The placing of shepherd hooks is restricted. No shepherd hook shall be placed without the permission of the Superintendent The maximum height of the shepherd hook shall not exceed thirty (30) inches between the top of the marker and the top of the shepherd hook. No shepherd hook shall be used for any purpose other than to support hanging flowers or wreaths.
The City of Lake Mills and Rock Lake Cemetery assume no responsibility or liability for the plantings, vases, or urns placed on cemetery property.
All floral ground plantings or flowerbeds must be in front of the stone with a maximum length equal to that of the concrete base and one foot out from the stone. No perennials are allowed. Permanent receptacles for cut flowers must be recessed level with the ground and must be placed next to or in line with the stone. No gravel, lava stone, or washed stone may be placed on the gravesites.
