After negotiations to purchase land from neighboring property owners for the Plainville Cemetery expansion failed, the Dell Prairie Town Board Wednesday voted unanimously to begin the process for taking the land by eminent domain.

The town's chairman, Darrell Schulz, said the property owners, Anna Wojtasik and Bob Goree, placed outlandish conditions on the town's offer to purchase more than two acres so a new road accessing the cemetery could be built and the cemetery expanded.

Schulz said the property owners would sell their land provided that the road be constructed by 2010. If not, the property owners wanted to buy the land back for $8,000, less than the $9,000 the town would have initially paid for the property, according to Schulz.

He said the property owners wanted the town to pay for closing costs, as well.

Supervisor Dan Mitchell said the negotiations between the town and the property owners were becoming a "game."

"It's time to get serious about this. We've been discussing this for a long time. We need to move on," he said.

The issue has appeared on the agenda since at least November.

Supervisor Mary Olson said she, too, favored pursuing acquiring the land by eminent domain. The town's purchase offers have been fair and have been met by unwarranted requests on the part of the property owners, she said.

The town is authorized to spend up to $18,000 on the cemetery land. It expects to spend about $40,000 on constructing an access road to the cemetery off Highway 13, according to Schulz.

In other business, the board approved spending $3,500 on an audit of the town's financial records. Schulz is to choose from two auditors. The board wanted the audit of the town's records to begin within the month.

The board also did the following:

n Approved a rezoning request from Marie Siriann to rezone 39 acres at 3762 Ninth Avenue from A1 to A3.

n Accepted a rezoning change for Ed Ronczkowski for 38.97 acres on Gillette Lane near Ninth Avenue.

n Tabled action on revising the Driveway Highway Access Ordinance. Schulz said property owners would have six months to make their driveways meet requirements of the new ordinance.

n Mitchell requested that the board discuss where the town's records should be kept. Currently records are kept at the homes of the clerk and treasurer who use their personal computers to conduct town business.