Maintenance contracts approved; Graceland Cemetery fees rise

Members at a meeting whose governing body is not specified in the transcript voted to approve maintenance contracts for three cemeteries and to raise several Graceland Cemetery fees for 2025.

The board approved contracts for Servicemen's, American Legion and Calvary cemeteries and approved new Graceland rates for traditional and cremation grave spaces, grave openings, double-deep openings, weekend service and disinterment fees. The approvals were recorded by voice vote with no roll call recorded.

The fee changes for Graceland listed at the meeting were: traditional grave spaces from $600 to $650; cremation grave spaces from $300 to $325; single grave opening from $650 to $700; full-size double-deep grave opening from $1,150 to $1,200; a weekend-rate increase (noted in the agenda materials as an increase to $400); and disinterment fees up $50 for both disinterment out of and back into the cemetery. The board moved and approved those schedule changes by voice vote.

On contracts, the maintenance rates for Servicemen's and the American Legion were raised by $60 per acre, and Calvary Cemetery’s contract line showing an increase of $500 was presented. Calvary also retains a small annual allowance for tree removals that the board said will not carry forward year to year; if Calvary exceeds the annual allowance it will pay additional per-tree costs, the discussion noted. Meeting discussion included a clarification that if the municipality removes or requires removal of a large number of trees for a future project, replacement would be the cemetery’s responsibility under the contract arrangement discussed at the meeting.

Members also noted previous and continuing conversations with contractor Dean Strand about contract details. The meeting referenced that design work for cemetery expansion had been approved in prior discussions and that roughly $20,000 had been budgeted for concept-level design and cost estimates to study expansion on an alfalfa field west of Servicemen's and a roughly 3-acre parcel north of Calvary between the cemetery and the No. 14 tee box. Staff described the approach as a phased expansion that could proceed as funding or need becomes available.

No statute, ordinance, or other legal citation was identified in the transcript for these items; the approvals were presented as local contract and fee schedule actions. The board scheduled further consideration of any fee items that were not explicitly listed on the meeting agenda for the next meeting.

Votes at the meeting were taken by voice and recorded as “aye” or “opposed” with no roll-call tally in the transcript.