A cemetery flower program will continue to be fully funded for next year in Two Rivers.
Monday night, the city council heard from some members of the public who said that they wanted the Cemetery Perpetual Care Flowers to stay after saying the city was ending funding for the program.
Resident Shantell Hoffman told the council about her personal experience in the program, saying that she has a lot of family in the cemetery.
Hoffman also said the city owes to veteran families.
“You had an agreement with them, you should continue your agreement,” she stated. “I could imagine if it was the actual fund and it ran out of money, totally understandable it ran out of money, you can’t, you know. But we don’t know that because it’s been absorbed. So, I just want to remind people that those were lives that lived in Two Rivers and kind of made our community into what it is today.”
American Legion Member Dean Hirvela, who’s been a strong supporter of the program, explained that the flower program was started by residents who created a fund to pay for the flowers.
The city has been supporting it since, and according to Hirvela, it should continue to.
“For the memories of these families that are here, it just hurts, let’s just leave it at that,” he admitted. “Thank you very much for all your communication with us. Thank you for allowing us to come and speak our minds.”
The city council was originally going to include $2,700 from property tax funding to help support the cemetery flower program, while an additional $3,300 would have to be raised by residents or the city.
The resolution would also have the program funded outside of the city by 2027.
Council Vice President Adam Wachowski changed the resolution to fully fund the program for 2026.
He says those who want the program should not have to fundraise for the program this close to budget time.
“It’s not going to be easy to come up with that,” he explained. “They’re going to start some kind of a fund that they’re going to have to put into some kind of market to continue to build that, hopefully beat that off the interest. And hopefully at one time they’ll get $6,000 in interest once they get that fund fully beefed up, and I think to take that out of there right now at a last-minute budget meeting, I don’t think is fair to them.”
Two Rivers City Manager Kyle Kordell then asked what should be cut to provide full funding for the program in 2026.
Wachowski suggested pushing back a pay raise for the city manager position, lower funding for a portion of the parks and recreation department, or cutting cost-of-living items.
In the end, Parks and Recreation Director Mike Mathis stepped in, saying he could adjust his budget to find money for the program, which could include a pause for part-time employee raises.
