Representatives from the Wright City Cemetery Memorial Society came to the Dec. 11 Wright City Board of Aldermen meeting to seek assistance in repairing 33 gravestones that they said have been damaged by the city’s mowing contractor.

Memorial Society representatives Jackie Nierman and Karen Girondo presented the aldermen with photos depicting damage to 33 stones in the cemetery that they said were due to the city’s mowing contractor Green Horizons Landscaping.

Nierman said in September Memorial Society President Jerry Prouhet contacted Wright City Mayor Michelle Heiliger and Alderman Ramiz Hakim and invited them to tour the cemetery and view the displacement of gravestones and the damage done in the cemetery. Nierman said on Oct. 6 Heiliger and Hakim met with several representatives of the society. Nierman said following that meeting she felt confident as city officials had ensured society members at that meeting that their concerns would be addressed.

Nierman said in late October Prouhet sent an email to Heiliger noting additional stones that had been damaged since the meeting in early October, but never received a response from city officials. She said this lack of a response resulted in the society wanting to bring the issue before the entire board in an attempt to address their ongoing concerns.

Girondo went through a series of photos showing headstones in varying states of damage. She said that there were 33 headstones damaged in total, with three being in block 1, eight in block 2, nine in block 3 and 13 in block 5 of the cemetery. She said while there has been damage before they had never seen this much damage at one time.

Nierman then asked the board what action the city will take moving forward. She said the society feels that all of the displaced or damaged stones will need to be replaced. She further asked the board who would do the repairs, suggesting using Green Horizons insurance to cover the cost of repairs.

“The lack of respect shown by Green Horizons is unacceptable,” she said.

Heiliger responded to Nierman saying she checked her email again during the meeting but never received an email from Prouhet. She apologized and said if the email could be forwarded to her she would respond. Heiliger said she has conversed with representatives with Green Horizons and they told her they have been mowing for the city for three years and never received any complaints until now. She also added that they put their mowing services out for bid, but Green Horizons was the only bidder for 2026.

Heiliger then questioned Nierman if she wanted city staff to walk the cemetery after Green Horizons mows and Nierman responded that they should report any damage to stones themselves.

“There is no way they could not know when they hit a stone like that,” Nierman said.

Public Works Director Kyle Roettger said before the 2026 mowing season begins he is going to meet with the owner of Green Horizons and a representative from the society to walk the cemetery and discuss expectations and communication if these incidents occur in the future.

Later in the meeting during the approval of bills, Hakim suggested approving all payments with the exception of an $8,005 check to Green Horizons, to allow for the mayor to meet with representatives from the company regarding the issue.