The city treasurer presented a first‑of‑its‑kind overview of Berry City’s special funds on Aug. 26, reporting roughly $6.69 million in combined balances across bequests, cemetery perpetual‑care accounts and other dedicated funds.

Nut graf: Councilors heard that some legacy funds are tightly restricted while others are effectively discretionary, and several members urged the administration to build a small ongoing grant or project program to make demonstrable local improvements that encourage future philanthropic gifts.

Treasurer Carol told councilors the document lists each fund’s balance, restrictions and examples of prior uses. The Semperbond bequest and related annuity have funded public capital projects in recent years; the annuity remains managed by the Vermont Community Foundation and councilors said the city has historically used annual disbursements for capital improvements. The treasurer reported a balance of $88,775.03 in a dedicated bike‑path account and that council previously allocated $1,100,000 from the larger bequest toward bike‑path work, leaving a remainder in a bequest account that the council may reassign in the future.

Councilors asked about several smaller cemetery funds — St. Monica’s and other perpetual‑care accounts — and whether those funds could be consolidated into a single cemetery general fund for clearer administration. The treasurer said statute limits cemetery perpetual‑care principal use and that some funds’ origins and restrictions were not fully documented in city records; she offered to trace the documentation and propose consolidation where legally permitted.

The council discussed whether some discretionary fund earnings could be used to support operations or recurring projects. The treasurer noted that with current interest rates, returns on restricted cemetery principal (about $3 million for Hope Cemetery) will generate nontrivial annual income; trustees and the cemetery commission have suggested using earnings for cemetery‑related expenses such as grounds maintenance software and capital projects. Several councilors urged a balance between conserving endowments and making visible, meaningful improvements to encourage future giving.

Councilors also reviewed the opioid settlement fund, which the treasurer said had an available balance after a $20,000 allocation that same night to Turning Point Center. Councilors noted the fund is limited to opioid‑related purposes but can be used for a range of prevention, treatment and response activities and suggested soliciting small proposals from local nonprofits for remaining dollars.

Ending: The treasurer will research legal restrictions on specific memorial accounts, return with recommendations for possible consolidations, and coordinate with staff to develop a process for regular annual allocations or grant rounds from discretionary fund earnings.