Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cemetery Fee Waiver topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council waives cemetery-stone permit fee for Sunnyside Foundation memorial project
Summary
Hastings City Council voted 8–0 to waive the $40 per‑stone cemetery permit fee for 20 headstones proposed by the Sunnyside Foundation at Parkview Cemetery, honoring buried residents from roughly 1914–1944. The waiver drew questions about precedent; staff said the fee covers marker layout work and is deposited to the general fund.
Hastings City Council voted 8–0 to waive the $40 per‑stone cemetery permit fee for a Sunnyside Foundation project to install 20 headstones at Parkview Cemetery.
Amy Pierce, who identified herself as a local historian representing the Sunnyside board, told the council she had uncovered several formerly unmarked graves dating roughly from 1914 to 1944 and that the foundation intended to place raised markers for 20 occupants. "It bothered me," Pierce said, describing why she asked the foundation to place markers and why she brought the request to the council.
Councilors questioned details and potential consequences. One council member warned that waiving fees for a nonprofit project could set a precedent: "If a veterans group decided to pool their money and buy headstones for all of their people now... this would set a precedence of fees being waived for nonprofits," the member said, urging the council to consider future implications.
A city staff member identified as Jeff explained the purpose of the fee: "The fee is... an administrative fee. Basically what it is for is for staff — they lay out where the marker is supposed to be for the monument company so that they're put in the right spot," he said, adding that the fee is deposited into the general fund.
Councilors also asked practical questions about marker types and records. Pierce said the foundation had names and dates for the 20 occupants and intended markers that are slightly raised rather than flush with the ground. She said the foundation is aiming to have the markers installed by Memorial Day.
After discussion, Councilor Hoffman moved to approve the Sunnyside Foundation’s request to waive the $40 cemetery‑stone permit fee for 20 headstones; the motion was seconded (recorded in the minutes) and passed 8–0.
The decision directs staff to process the permit fee waiver for the 20 headstones requested by the Sunnyside Foundation; no independent citywide policy change on fee waivers was adopted during the meeting.
