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Cemetery trustees ask for higher maintenance line to care for newly accepted Brentwood Poor Farm site
Summary
Cemetery trustees requested a $2,000 maintenance appropriation to fund upkeep and initial delineation of the recently-declared Brentwood Poor Farm Cemetery; the Select Board approved a reduced request that preserved core wages and operations.
Jim Hasier, chair of the Cemetery Trustees, presented the trustees’ requested fiscal year 2026 budget and explained two primary adjustments: a modest increase to electricity and a restoration of the land maintenance line to reflect historical spending and an upcoming new responsibility.
Hasier told the Select Board the trustees propose raising the land maintenance appropriation from $1,000 to $2,000 because the trustees expect to add the Brentwood Poor Farm Cemetery — an abandoned burial site off Deer Hill Road — to town maintenance responsibilities. The trustees anticipate tasks in the first year will include marking a perimeter and installing a bronze plaque to describe the site; Hasier said the work would rely largely on trustee labor but will require materials such as poles and chain.
“The first year, we're going to probably end up putting a delineation. Because right now, you walked in there, you really can't tell,” Hasier said. He estimated materials would be low cost and offered to provide a perimeter measurement and cost estimate to the board.
Joyce Kegel, cemetery superintendent, told the board the department could use capital-reserve funds if needed and that the trustees would consider reducing the request to $1,500 to help level-fund the town budget. After discussion about hourly calculations and personnel allocations, the Select Board voted to approve the trustees’ budget at $13,005.38, reflecting negotiated wage changes and the adjusted maintenance request.
Trustees said they will seek measurements and a quote for the delineation materials and may ask the board to encumber funds from this fiscal year if necessary. The board also discussed the possibility of donations or in-kind help to offset maintenance costs and noted the town will place the new cemetery on GIS maps for ongoing record-keeping.
Ending — The trustees’ FY2026 budget was approved with the modified maintenance appropriation; staff and trustees will follow up with cost estimates and next steps to mark and document the Brentwood Poor Farm Cemetery.
