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Jacksonville council raises cemetery plot fees, adds transfer charge
Summary
Council adopted amendments to the master fee ordinance raising resident adult plot prices from $400 to $1,000, establishing a $1,250 nonresident rate and adding a $250 deed transfer fee.
Jacksonville — The City Council on Tuesday approved amendments to the master fee ordinance that increase several cemetery‑related charges, citing maintenance costs and decades without a fee update.
City staff reported the city operates two cemeteries—City Cemetery (about 32 acres) and Resthaven (about 17 acres)—and that City Cemetery has no remaining plots while Resthaven has roughly 118 adult plots and 89 child plots available. Staff said the cemeteries’ operational budget this fiscal year is about $183,000, excluding periodic capital work such as tree removal or road repairs.
Under the change the council approved, an adult resident plot would increase from $400 to $1,000; a nonresident adult plot would be $1,250. Child plot pricing remains at $200. Monument permits would rise from $10 to $50, and the ordinance adds a $250 transfer fee to move a cemetery deed between owners, staff told the council. The staff presentation noted the last local cemetery fee update occurred in 1985 and compared Jacksonville’s new fees to neighboring jurisdictions’ rates.
Council action: Mayor Pro Tem Tim McCray moved to amend the master fee ordinance for cemetery fees; Councilwoman Mindy Gellert seconded the motion. The council voted unanimously to adopt the fee changes.
Why it matters: Staff said the fee increases are intended to better match current maintenance and capital costs after almost four decades without an update. The council did not alter the number of plots or change cemetery operations with the motion; the action only revises fees.
