Cape Girardeau Facing Higher Tab For Indigent Burials
By Nancy Simpson
CREATED Jul. 13, 2012
JACKSON, Mo. (AP) - A southeast Missouri county is facing an increasing number of indigent burials.
Cape Girardeau County commissioners say the annual allotment for indigent burials is already used up for the year. The county has buried five people in 2012 who did not leave behind enough money to cover the cost, and who do not have relatives or others who can pay.
The Southeast Missourian reports that the number of indigent burials has been rising. From 2000 to 2005, the county paid to bury eight people at a total cost of $4,400. Twenty burials or cremations since 2006 cost the county nearly $12,000. There have been 14 indigent burials since 2010.
Some commissioners believe the county should explore cremation as a way to save money.
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