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Cemetery Commission and Selectboard agree on two-part RFP for mowing
Summary
The Isle La Motte Selectboard will issue a two-part Request for Bids for mowing — one component for town lands and one for cemeteries — after Cemetery Commission concerns about skills and equipment needed for grave maintenance; cemetery commissioners will help select the cemetery contractor.
Chair Peter Brzozowy opened the Town of Isle La Motte Selectboard special meeting at 4:11 p.m. on Jan. 20, 2026. The board discussed combining town and cemetery mowing contracts and heard concerns from Cemetery Commission representative Cathy Tudhope about the specialized skills and equipment required to mow around headstones and maintain gravesites.
Tudhope told the board that cemetery mowing “requires a different set of skills than mowing other lands” and that commission members worry a general contractor might lack appropriate equipment or expertise. The Selectboard agreed the town should pursue economies while protecting cemetery care and proposed issuing a Request for Bids with two components: (1) town-owned lands excluding cemeteries, and (2) the cemeteries themselves. Contractors may bid on one or both parts, and the RFP will request qualifications, equipment lists and relevant experience.
Mary-Catherine Graziano proposed that Cemetery Commission members participate in choosing the contractor for the cemetery portion; the Selectboard agreed. The board said involving commissioners in the selection process would make commission members more accepting of any change in contractor.
Next steps: the town will draft a two-part RFP that specifies both components and the required information from bidders, then accept bids and include Cemetery Commission input when selecting the cemetery contractor. No contract award was made at the Jan. 20 meeting. The Selectboard scheduled a follow-up budget meeting for Jan. 22 and will consider the RFP timeline in subsequent meetings.
