Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cemetery Commission topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select Board weighs proposal to form cemetery commission; seeks narrow advisory model and legal review
Summary
Select Board members discussed forming a cemetery commission to focus on cemetery maintenance, sensitive waiver requests and long-term capacity planning; the board directed Select Board member Sam to meet with town counsel and staff to draft a legally simple, time-limited approach.
Select Board members and residents debated whether to re-establish a cemetery commission dedicated to cemetery operations, maintenance and future land needs. The board did not vote to create a new commission but directed follow-up work to develop a simple advisory approach for later consideration.
Why it matters: town officials said cemetery space is finite and that, under current demand rates, the town may need to plan for additional burial capacity within roughly a 10-year horizon. Board members and public commenters said some cemetery matters — including waiver requests and sensitive family issues — can be difficult to handle in large public meetings and might be better managed by a smaller, focused body.
Discussion highlights: former cemetery-commission members and the chair of the historical commission urged creation of a focused body. Kevin Miller, chair of the Historical Commission and a resident, told the board his commission “is very strongly in support” of a cemetery commission to help address long-standing maintenance and preservation needs. Tim Blick, a resident who reviewed state statute, warned that a statutory cemetery commission carries defined legal powers (including hiring authority) and urged the board to avoid statutory complexity; he suggested an alternative: a town-appointed, advisory or ad-hoc body that could operate with more discretion and a focused mission.
Board direction: after discussing alternatives, Select Board members expressed interest in a lightweight, primarily advisory committee focused first on the highest-priority tasks (notably planning for future burial land capacity). Several members proposed a sunset provision or an ad hoc model limited to a specific charge (for example, land-acquisition planning) to reduce committee proliferation and ensure accountability. The board agreed not to take final action at this meeting and instead asked Select Board member Sam to meet with the town’s personnel and legal staff (Jay and town counsel were named in discussion) to draft simple, implementable options — including an appointed advisory committee and an ad-hoc working group — that could return to the Select Board for consideration.
Ending: the board asked staff to keep the item on future agendas while Sam and staff work to produce draft language that is legally straightforward and narrowly focused; no formal commission was created at the Feb. 4 meeting.
