By David Owens, newseditor@laurelleadercall.com
Laurel Leader-Call
LAUREL —
The Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office will accept bids through Friday for Laurel’s Sunset Gardens Memorial Park and three other cemeteries it was named Receiver of in August 2009.
The sale of the properties follows a nearly year-long process by the Secretary of State’s Office to get the finances in the cemetery in order. Don Middleton, former owner of the property, was sentenced to 12 months in jail, plus a $1,800 fine for failure to file cemetery records.
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said a $500,000 debt against the cemeteries was released for no money. However, a $8,985.13 federal tax lien will have to be paid by the purchaser.
Hosemann said he didn’t know if someone would bid on all of the properties or just a particular cemetery.
“We will ask for the successful bidder to provide information as to financial stability,” he said. “We will follow up from our office to ensure the low bidder is financially able to continue the perpetual care of the cemetery in operating the way people would expect it would be.”
Hosemann said the low bidder would be awarded said cemetery “as quickly as possible” after a due diligence process.
“Any funds that we receive in excess of any tax lien will go to the perpetual care fund,” he said.
The bids will be opened Monday morning in the Secretary of State’s Office.
