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Selectmen approve small cemetery repair payment from trust funds; trustees to review perpetual-care trusts
Summary
The board approved a motion to spend up to $17.50 from Mountain View Cemetery’s pension fund for repairs and discussed consolidating longstanding perpetual-care trust funds that create administrative burden for trustees and finance staff.
The Board of Selectmen approved a motion to authorize up to $17.50 from the Mountain View Cemetery pension fund to pay for specified repairs and discussed long-running perpetual-care trust funds established for cemetery maintenance.
The issue drew attention because multiple small, individually managed trust funds require ongoing administrative time from trustees and the finance office while contributing only small amounts to perpetual care. The Selectmen were told trustees and staff are looking at options to stop creating new individual funds and to find a way to consolidate or roll small trusts into a more manageable format.
A motion authorizing repairs was read during the meeting as follows: "With the author, Joe Russo would spend no more than $17.50 out of the cemetery's pension fund to make repairs for details provided." A second was recorded, and the chair asked for a vote. The response on the record was "Aye," and the motion passed on the voice vote.
Selectmen noted that some perpetual-care funds can cost more administrative time than the income they generate. The board agreed to revisit the broader trust-fund consolidation and to discuss the matter again when key staff members, including Lee, are available.
No statutory citations or ordinance references were given on the record; staff were asked to return with options for consolidating funds and to provide background at a future meeting.
