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Proposed cemetery maintenance grants cut in draft budget; staff: funding would cover 18 sites at full level
Summary
Staff told council the full cemetery-maintenance program was sized to cover 18 cemeteries (44 acres) at $172,000; the recommended reduction to $86,000 would require fewer visits or prioritized support and staff proposed working with volunteer groups to stretch the funding.
A proposed cut to newly created cemetery maintenance grants drew council discussion about scope and options.
Vice Mayor Steven Brown asked how many cemeteries the reduced grant package would support. Interim budget manager Angelique Shank said the full proposal — $172,000 — was sized to cover 18 cemeteries totaling 44 acres, and that a $86,000 allocation would either reduce the frequency of maintenance or require prioritizing sites without volunteer support. "So 18 cemeteries, 44 acres," Shank said in response to the question, noting the city could vary frequency or prioritize funding to supplement groups that lack volunteers.
Shank said the intent of the program was to work with nonprofit or community advocacy groups that already care for many sites, but acknowledged some sites have no volunteer base and would need more city support. Council did not take a final vote on program prioritization; staff included the reduction as part of the package to balance the budget after the SAFER grant veto and offered to work with council to develop prioritization criteria if the reduced funding is adopted.
