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Kanarraville board debates limits on cemetery plot purchases amid concerns about hoarding and lost revenue
Summary
After staff reported residents buying multiple cemetery plots at resident rates and transferring them to nonresidents, the Kanarraville Town Board discussed limiting purchases per resident, tying plots to specific named beneficiaries, raising resident fees, and creating a perpetual maintenance fund. Staff will draft options for a future ordinance.
The Kanarraville Town Board spent the longest portion of its April 9 meeting debating how to prevent residents from buying large numbers of cemetery plots at preferential resident rates and subsequently transferring or hoarding them.
Staff raised the issue after finding examples of purchasers holding multiple plots under resident pricing and noted the town’s maintenance costs exceed cemetery revenue. "We have about 450 available plots for purchase at the existing cemetery, and then we have that whole expansion section in which we have about 1,300 plus that can be added to it," said Committee member (S9), who led the comparisons with other municipalities.
Board members proposed several approaches. Options discussed included reducing the number of plots available per resident (proposals ranged from one to four), allowing purchases only for immediate family, requiring the purchaser to name the individual who will be interred in each plot at the time of purchase, adding a 'special circumstances' exemption for emergencies, or raising resident plot fees and creating a perpetual maintenance fund to cover long-term upkeep.
"If you pass away, you just put it in the will that you're giving it to this child," said one committee member (S8) in favor of allowing some transfer mechanisms but limiting speculative purchases. Another board member (S6) argued the policy question was whether the problem is "hoarding properties" or "lost revenue," and that different fixes would follow from each diagnosis.
Staff said logistics and definitions will matter: the town should define "resident" (suggestions included voter registration, property ownership or one year of local rental), and determine whether purchasers must provide the beneficiary’s name and contact information to prevent plots from being effectively removed from circulation.
The board did not adopt a rule at the meeting. Staff (S9) said they will draft proposed ordinance language and pricing options and return with the pros and cons for a future meeting so the board can decide whether to amend the town’s cemetery rules and regulations.
The next procedural step: staff will prepare options and consequences for the board’s May meeting, including sample limits per resident, sample fee increases, and an explanation of how transfers would be handled.
