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Smithfield council weighs limits and price hikes as cemetery nears capacity
Summary
Council reviewed maps to open two cemetery sections that would add about 112 full-size plots and a cremation-only section, debated requiring purchasers be deceased or charging higher nonresident fees, and agreed to return with final fee language next month.
Smithfield City Council discussed how to manage a dwindling supply of burial plots and possible updates to the cemetery fee schedule at its April 8 meeting.
City Manager Justin Lewis presented a revised map showing Sections D1 and D2. Opening D1 would create 112 full-size burial plots but 19 are currently encumbered by trees, leaving roughly 93 immediately usable spaces; D2 would be reserved for cremation interments. Lewis said staff is recommending limiting immediate D1 sales by allowing purchases only when one of the two people is already deceased, to curb speculative buying and preserve plots for residents. He said, “If we have a free-for-all and open that up, those plots are going to be gone.”
Councilmembers debated alternatives. Several members favored allowing residents to buy plots at any time while restricting nonresidents (those who do not pay Smithfield property taxes or have a city utility account) to a higher fee or a death-only purchase. Councilmember Todd said restricting nonresidents by death would be “a meetable option,” while another councilmember argued residents should have preferential access because they already subsidize the cemetery through local taxes. The council asked staff to bring comparative pricing and recent sales data for nearby cities to the next meeting.
Staff also proposed a plot-buyback option to recover unused lots. Lewis said the current buyback policy reimburses original purchasers at historical cost (which can be very low) and proposed a minimum buyback incentive (suggested amounts discussed ranged from $400 to the purchaser’s original paid price) to encourage families to sell unused plots back to the city.
No vote was taken; council members directed staff to draft fee options and to bring back data on recent nonresident purchases before the next meeting. Justin Lewis said the recommended approach is to open D1 and D2 for consideration next month with council-set restrictions and tiered pricing options.
What’s next: Staff will return with draft language for Resolution 2026-05, comparative fees from neighboring jurisdictions, and counts of recent out-of-area sales so the council can adopt final fees and any purchase restrictions at a future meeting.
