Jackson council approves $44,000 to study Aspen Hill Cemetery, directs staff to present options on capacity and rules

The Jackson Town Council on March 17 approved a $44,000 amendment to the current fiscal-year budget to expand cemetery staffing hours and pay for surveying and planning at Aspen Hill Cemetery, and unanimously directed staff to return with options to increase burial capacity, tighten eligibility for plot purchases and burials, update the town's cemetery resolution and draft an ordinance to ban burials outside designated cemetery grounds.

The measures began as a presentation by Tom Jackson, the town's public works director, joined by Mike Halpin, the cemetery sexton. Jackson said the town has provided cemetery services for more than a century but that "the municipal code section 12.12 sets the rules" and that Aspen Hill is nearing capacity. He told the council the cemetery could be full in as few as four to five years under current practices and that a reconfiguration and preparatory capital work could extend usable life to 18 to 30 years, depending on the options chosen.

Why it matters: Aspen Hill is the town's municipal cemetery and the issue affects long-term recordkeeping, public health enforcement and future burial options for residents. Council members stressed the need to "catch up" on mapping and records and to avoid losing momentum on work begun by the new sexton.

What the council approved and asked staff to do - Budget amendment: Council approved adding roughly $44,000 to fiscal year 2025 for additional Sexton hours and professional services. Staff described the request as 450 additional Sexton hours (bringing the total to about 850 hours per year) at an estimated $18,000 in added staff cost, plus about $26,000 for a professional survey and platting of cemetery grounds. - Direction to staff: The council unanimously directed staff to return at a future meeting with: options to increase internment capacity at Aspen Hill; options for more restrictive eligibility requirements for plot purchases and burials; a corrected and updated cemetery resolution to reflect current practice; and a draft ordinance banning burials outside designated cemetery grounds within town limits.

Staff and legal context: Halpin and Jackson said much of the cemetery's plot records remain paper-based and that a professional survey would improve accuracy for sales and recordkeeping. Town attorney Leah Colosano told council the town currently lacks an ordinance prohibiting burials outside the cemetery and that affirmative regulation of burial locations is common in urban codes; she said she could not confirm whether off-site burials had occurred in Jackson but described the proposed ordinance as a way to reduce public-health risks and unregulated interments.

Council discussion: Members asked about the source of the $44,000. Jackson and staff said the amount would be included in the third-quarter budget amendment in April and could be funded from general fund reserves or reallocated from other planned capital projects that were deferred. Council discussion also anticipated future recommendations on fee changes linked to capacity and option choices; one council member requested a payment-plan option for residents who could not afford higher fees.

Next steps: Staff will return with the analyses and draft regulations requested by the council; the $44,000 amendment will be formally inserted in the third-quarter budget amendment in April for council ratification.

Quotes from the meeting - "The town voluntarily provides the cemetery services. This is not a requirement by statute or other rules for the town or county to provide a cemetery," Tom Jackson, public works director, said during the presentation. - "I do think it's money well spent and needed," Councilman Schuster said in support of the budget amendment.

Ending: The council approved both the budget amendment and the staff direction unanimously. Staff estimated about 25 additional hours of work to prepare the forthcoming analyses and options for council review.