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City clerk outlines cemetery capital needs; council told mausoleum space and storage are near capacity
Summary
City clerk presented cemetery operations and a capital plan that includes niche installation, possible mausoleum replacement (estimated ~$370,000) and a request to use the perpetual fund as an internal loan to rebuild capital reserves; expansion will require a state‑statute survey before new burial lanes can be developed.
The city clerk presented a consolidated report on the clerk’s office and city cemetery at the budget workshop and asked council to consider several near‑ and long‑term capital requests for cemetery operations.
Clerk Debbie (last name not specified) said the cemetery currently has limited mausoleum and niche inventory after recent sales; three mausoleum spaces remain and recent niche sales exhausted available cremation space until the next construction is complete. The clerk said additional niches would be installed imminently and that a replacement mausoleum has an estimated cost in the $300,000–$400,000 range (the clerk referenced a $370,000 planning figure). The clerk also requested a covered lean‑to to expand secure equipment storage and a pickup truck better suited to towing and daily cemetery operations.
The clerk described three separate cemetery funds: an operating fund, a capital fund and a perpetual fund. The capital fund has been depleted by recent projects; the clerk proposed an internal loan from the perpetual fund to the capital fund to finance near‑term needs, with a future resolution required if council approves that financing move. The clerk also said a formal land survey will be required by state statute before any expansion of burial lanes can proceed; staff have had prior experience where previously released parcels contained old burials that limited reuse.
Budget details included operating revenue and revenue sources: the clerk said cemetery operating revenue was roughly $440,000, of which about $193,000 came from property tax and about $61,000 from sales tax; the clerk said fees and niche sales fund capital and perpetual funds.
Next steps: staff said the city will present firm cost estimates and, if requested, a resolution for any internal loan arrangement. No formal council action was taken during the workshop.
