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Rockport trims cemetery budget by moving mowing in-house and launches cemetery mapping project
Summary
The committee heard that cemetery expenses dropped after the town shifted from a Farley Inc. mowing contract to part-time in-house labor; staff also reported increased lot-sale revenues from a revised fee schedule and a digital cemetery-mapping rollout planned for July.
The committee reviewed a markedly lower cemetery operating line driven by a proposed shift away from a full-season external mowing contract to part-time in-house mowing labor.
Officials said the change accounts for much of the -87% reduction in the cemetery line in the draft budget and that some roadway repair work carried out in-house this year came in well under the $50,000 original estimate. The board also discussed using trust-fund earnings and a cemetery reserve to address stone cleaning and maintenance, noting some repairs can cost thousands per monument and that a reserve may be tapped for larger projects.
Staff reported the cemetery trust fund principal is protected but that earnings can be used to offset operations; the trust balance was discussed in rough terms ("almost 400" in that discussion) while the cemetery reserve was noted at roughly $38,000-$39,000. The committee also discussed training options for municipal staff to do limited stone-care work under State Cemetery Preservation Commission guidance.
Separately, staff described a cemetery-management software and photo upload project: Rockville cemetery data entry and headstone photos are complete and targeted to go live on the town website in July; West Rockport is about one-quarter complete.
No formal action taken. The committee noted continued attention to how trust fund earnings and the reserve should be used as mowing responsibilities shift to town crews.
