Killeen to get $1.9 million per year to take care of veterans cemetery

Killeen Daily Herald
By Kevin Limiti | Herald
December 22, 2023

The city of Killeen will be paid nearly $2 million per year to take over maintenance and operations of the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery.

The Killeen City Council voted earlier this week to take over operations of the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, and this comes with funding for employees.

Last Tuesday’s vote, which was 6-0 in favor, also comes with an approximately $1.3 million budget for eight months for employees of the cemetery, who will be converted to city employees with benefits, according to City Manager Kent Cagle.

This budget annually comes out to $1.9 million, he said.

That money will be paid to Killeen from the state government, which runs several veterans cemeteries in Texas, including the one in south Killeen.

Cagle also said they would be using the equipment already provided by the cemetery rather than have to bring or pay for its own.

The city of Killeen would be acting as contractors and the Texas General Land Office, and the Veterans Land Board would maintain ownership of the cemetery.

He said Tuesday is an annual contract and if one side doesn’t live up to the bargain, the partnership can be ended.

He also emphasized that the state pays for major maintenance if it’s over $1,000.

According to the cemetery’s website, the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery opened Jan. 4, 2006. It is the first of four cemeteries built and run by the Texas Veterans Land Board, under the Texas General Land Office.

The cemetery’s 174-acre tract was previously part of Fort Cavazos, at the time known as Fort Hood, that was donated to the federal government with space for up to 50,000 burial plots.

About 15,000 veterans and family members are interred there.
 

The proposal was initiated by the General Land Office and the Veterans Land Board.