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Coppell details Rolling Oaks Memorial Center finances, expansion and service changes
Summary
City staff told the council the cemetery’s perpetual care fund holds about $1.9 million (November balance) and receives 15% of burial‑right sales; an expansion added about 1,751 immediate spaces and staff said pre‑need service restrictions will be lifted April 1 for immediate needs.
City staff updated the Coppell City Council on Rolling Oaks Memorial Center operations, finances and a recent land expansion, saying the cemetery’s two related funds are structured to support long‑term maintenance.
Vanessa Tarver, assistant director of strategic financial engagement, described the cemetery fund as a special revenue fund and said the perpetual care fund was set up with the cemetery’s opening. "This fund will eventually be used to supplement the maintenance of the cemetery grounds once all the plots are utilized," Tarver said, and she reported that "the fund balance of the perpetual care fund was 1,900,000.0 as of the November." Tarver said the perpetual care fund receives 15% of burial‑right sales (plots, niches and mausoleums) and accrues interest; in the current interest‑rate environment staff estimated about $69,000 in annual interest income.
Sherry (city staff) outlined operational changes adopted after the Oct. 30, 2023 amended operations plan and reviewed sales and capacity. She told council that since the June 1 pricing change the city has recorded 55 at‑need space sales, about 65% to residents and 35% to nonresidents. The council heard that a garden‑of‑legacy expansion released roughly 1,751 immediate spaces and that 149 additional spaces are plotted but will remain off sale pending further site work.
On residency and service rules, the council was told staff will remove prior residency restrictions for at‑need services beginning April 1: "Rolling Oaks Memorial Center will now serve all families with immediate needs regardless of their residency," Sherry said. Staff also plans to resume resident pre‑need appointments first, then contact nonresidents on the existing wait list once resident demand has been met.
Council members pressed for projections about the perpetual care fund’s ability to cover future maintenance costs after full build‑out. Staff said they do not yet have a definitive projection tied to eventual total spaces and that the perpetual care fund, as currently authorized, distributes only interest rather than principal. Staff noted existing groundsmaintenance costs (current mowing and grounds contract ~ $140,000/year) as a reference point for future funding needs.
Council and staff discussed financing options for 12–24 month purchase plans; staff said the cemetery software (HMIS) provides an in‑system financing mechanism and that a separate in‑house fund would collect interest from those arrangements.
The update closed with staff inviting follow‑up questions and indicating they will return with additional financial projections after pre‑need sales resume and further data are available.
