Council clears memorial-brick program at $87 each; staff to supply cost breakdown and consider pricing update

The City Council approved a new memorial-brick program at a staff-recommended price of $87 per brick and established an operational threshold that the vendor will inscribe bricks in minimum batches of 10. Parks and recreation staff described the cost breakdown in response to council questions: $2 per brick for the raw unit, a $60 engraving fee per order (with a 10-brick minimum), and a $25 administrative fee for city processing and coordination. “So it's $2 per brick. The engraving cost, it's $60 per brick order but you have to have the minimum of 10 bricks, and then it's $25 administrative fee for us to process the application,” the staff member said. That adds up to the $87 per-brick charge the council approved to allow the program to launch immediately. Council members debated whether staff should set the initial price at $87 or round up to $100 to create a small reserve; Deputy Mayor Gilbert suggested $100 to create an extra cushion for future cemetery maintenance. Staff said they can implement the initial $87 price immediately and return with a fee-resolution update to change the price later if council wishes. Councilmember Paul asked for and received a commitment that staff would provide a written breakdown of how the $87 figure was calculated. Staff also said orders could be accepted immediately online or in person, but the city would place inscriptions only after at least 10 bricks were ordered together; a single organization that orders 10 bricks at once would trigger the vendor visit and engraving. The brick program was part of the consent agenda and passed with the rest of the consent items approved by a 5-0 vote.