Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cemetery Funds topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Selectmen note review of small, longstanding cemetery perpetual‑care trust accounts
Summary
Board members were briefed that multiple small trust funds established for perpetual cemetery care exist and that staff will evaluate consolidation options; the selectmen asked for a follow-up once staff and the sexton are available to review balances and administrative burden.
The board heard a point‑of‑information about several small, longstanding trust funds set up for cemetery plot maintenance and asked staff to review options for administrative consolidation.
A selectman summarized conversations with the sexton and finance staff, saying the town holds a number of small individual trust accounts created when the cemetery was privately maintained and people paid for perpetual care. “There’s apparently, there’s quite a few trust funds that have been set up, individual trust funds for people, for cemetery plot maintenance,” the selectman said. He said some funds date back decades and that the administrative burden on trustees and the finance department may exceed the income those funds generate.
The selectman said staff would discuss potential ways to fold small perpetual‑care funds into a broader account or otherwise reduce administrative workload, and he recommended returning to the board for a discussion once the sexton and finance staff were available. No policy change or vote was taken at the meeting; the board asked staff to prepare options and to present them when key staff were present.
Board members noted the concern that stopping new individual trust funds could raise legal or procedural questions and that any change should not create unintended consequences for plot owners or trustees. Staff said they needed more time to assess balances, legal constraints and trustee responsibilities and would return with recommendations.
