Coldwater raises burial costs for Oak Grove Cemetery
COLDWATER — The city will raise its charges for burial services at Oak Grove Cemetery on April 1, after city council approved the move.
“We're trying to cover the costs of providing the service itself, not trying to cover the cost of running a cemetery,” which runs over $300,000 a year in the current city budget, said city manager Keith Baker.
City Clerk Sue Heath and public works director Todd Mister completed an analysis of the charges for burial services, last raised in 2016.
Baker said costs of equipment and fuels are just some of the increased expenses. “The increase would, as proposed would, essentially cover our costs when it comes to performing this service.”
Coldwater compared itself to other municipalities around the state. Grave prices would increase from $500 to $600 per lot. Ranges in the area went from $300 in Bronson, $500 in Hillsdale, to $650 in Marshall, with $718 in Sturgis.
For opening and closing the grave for a full burial, Coldwater and Bronson currently are the lowest rate at $400. The average is over $700. Coldwater will increase its rate to $500.
There are additional costs for the winter frost season and for late-hour work.
Heath reported, “Interment for a child grave and an adult grave is essentially the same work and cost. Staff suggests the removal of the separate child internment rate from the fee schedule.
If you need to disinter and/or reinter a body, it will cost more. The city no longer has the heavy equipment necessary to perform this task. New rates increase from $750 to $1,000, reflecting the work done by municipal services. The city will also add the prevailing cost of a contractor fee to complete the casket removal and replacement.
Mister said the increases were needed after six years, “looking at various things, from just the actual cost of the grave to the work that goes for the cost of a burial service.
There are only about 80 to 90 burials a year in the cemetery. The cemetery started in 1854 on the hill north of U.S. 12, then expanded south of the highway. Current estimates indicate there is enough open land to serve city burial needs for decades to come.
Another increase is “the cost of the concrete to put a foundation under a monument. The fact is that the cost of concrete has increased quite a bit in the last year or two.” The city will increase the price for a marker foundation from 45 cents to 55 cents per square inch.
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Heath retires at the end of the month as clerk but will stay on to work on Oak Grove cemetery and its records.
Baker told the city council, “This is the first step in looking at a revision to our overall cemetery rules and procedures.”
The city pays for the maintenance of Oak Grove Cemetery out of the general fund.
— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater raises burial costs for Oak Grove Cemetery to keep up with inflation
