The Lake County Council is poised to increase the county’s allowance for veterans’ grave markers at its Tuesday meeting.

The county’s current burial allowance for a deceased veteran is $150, which would increase to $225 under the ordinance. The county’s current burial allowance for the deceased veteran’s spouse is $100, which would increase to $150 under the ordinance.

The ordinance also increases the grave marker allowance for a veteran and the veteran’s spouse from $60 to $90.

When the council first discussed the ordinance at its June meeting, the ordinance had higher burial allowances: $500 for a veteran, $300 for a veteran’s spouse and a $200 grave marker allowance.

Council President Christine Cid, D-5th, said that since the first reading the increase to the allowance was lowered because of budgetary constraints. But the council felt it was important to give an increase, she said.

“We all respect our veterans and we know that burials are expensive,” Cid said. “We just felt it was the right thing to do to help the families.”

Councilman Pete Lindemulder, R-4th, who chairs the council’s veterans committee, said the death benefit rate had not increased in a few years. The council was able to work with existing funds within the budget to increase the benefit, he said.

“It hadn’t been raised in a while, and we could do it in a way that didn’t affect the budget, with money that was already appropriated. It made sense,” Lindemulder said.

Lake County Veterans Service Officer Jason Gootee said at the council’s Thursday study session that as the council is amending the ordinance, he would like the ordinance to implement the federal limit of 2 years to receive the benefit.

“It’s going to create problems, and I’d just like to get ahead of it,” Gootee said.

Ted Bilski, D-6th, said veterans and their families should have as much time as possible to apply for benefits.

Gootee said he has learned that Lake County is the only county in Indiana to have an allowance for a veteran’s spouse.

“I want our office to be that office that people look at to see how the office should be run. I want us to set the stage for the other counties,” Gootee said.

Bilski said the county is “in a great position” to increase the veteran death benefit, so the council should support that. He hopes the council will be able to maintain the increase as the county will face budgetary constraints under the state’s property tax law, Bilski said.

The council has decided to increase the veteran death benefit as a “small token” and thank you for serving and sacrificing for their country, Bilski said.

“It’s the right thing to do to take care of them. If we have the means to do it, we should do it,” Bilski said.

akukulka@post-trib.com