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Commission asks staff to study cremation-plot options after coroner raises need for local capacity
Summary
A coroner and funeral-industry contact raised options for accommodating cremated remains; the commission discussed installing a columbarium (quoted at roughly $36,000), creating cremation-only plots or a cremation garden, and asked staff to review ordinance language for next meeting.
Commissioners discussed whether Beaver Dam should add capacity for cremated remains after a coroner/funeral-industry contact said smaller towns are adopting columbariums and cremation gardens.
The presenter referred to an example columbarium monument quoted at about $36,000 and described alternatives: designating cremation-only plots (which can accommodate multiple interments depending on configuration) or creating a spreading or memorial garden. Staff noted that the city’s current ordinance language limits one remain per plot in some cases and that several interments may already have been conducted without formal authorization.
Commissioners directed staff to research ordinance changes (what the code currently allows regarding multiple cremated remains per plot and how to permit dedicated cremation plots) and to return to the June meeting with suggested revisions and cost estimates.
No formal ordinance change was adopted at the meeting; the commission’s action was to request staff review and to consider options including columbarium purchase, plot reconfiguration or a cremation garden.
