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Cemetery Committee reviews FY26 and proposed FY27 budgets; recommends rate study and earmarks Sleepy Hollow lot expansion for town meeting
Summary
Assistant CFO Ryan Ferrara presented a FY27 cemetery budget estimate of about $444,000 and said roughly $160,000 of costs may be funded from the Cemetery Fund (balance about $726,000). The committee recommended a rate study and approved two administrative motions: a lot transfer (5–0) and a film‑use request (4–0–1).
Assistant Chief Financial Officer Ryan Ferrara presented an overview of the Cemetery Fund at the Jan. 7 Town of Concord Cemetery Committee meeting, reviewing the current FY26 budget (about $271,000) and a proposed FY27 budget estimated at $444,000. Ferrara said the FY27 estimate includes funding for a landscaping contractor and that roughly $160,000 of those costs may need to be covered by the Cemetery Fund, which has a balance of about $726,000.
Ferrara told the committee the Sleepy Hollow lot expansion will be presented as a capital article at the 2026 Annual Town Meeting. He recommended the committee commission a rate study to ensure lot and service pricing reflect actual costs and sustain the Cemetery Fund over the long term. Committee members discussed long‑term sustainability of the fund but made no budget vote at the meeting; the presentation was recorded for future consideration during budget and town meeting processes.
Administrative actions taken at the meeting included approval of a film‑use request to publish photographs of graves associated with 19th‑century Black community members in Commonplace magazine (motion passed 4–0–1, with van Duzer abstaining) and approval of a lot transfer for two Sleepy Hollow knoll lots from the McKenna account to her brothers Kevin Garrelick and Daniel Garrelick (motion passed 5–0). The meeting opened with a report that six deeds had been signed by the chair and concluded with the committee’s request for feedback on the draft Annual Report; the meeting adjourned at 4:56 p.m. by unanimous vote.
The committee asked staff to provide materials needed for the recommended rate study and to include the Sleepy Hollow lot expansion as a capital article for voter consideration at the Annual Town Meeting. No formal town funding commitments for new projects were made at the Jan. 7 meeting; follow up on the FY27 proposal and capital articles will take place through the town’s budget and meeting processes.
