By ALICIA FEYERHERM
Tiger Media Network
Hays City Commission approved an amendment to the cemetery ordinance during Thursday’s meeting.
Director of Parks Jeff Boyle explained that the City owns the Fort Hays Memorial Gardens as well as the Mount Allen Cemetery. One of the main components of the amendment was increasing the cemetery fees.
“We have not implemented any fee increases in over 20 years,” Boyle said.
Since the City has not implemented increases, the current rates are well below the average for cities of similar size. The recommended changes would bring those fees closer to the average.
“I don’t have a problem with sort of getting it to the middle, or slightly cheaper end of middle, but we’re talking about doubling the space fee for a full space, but we’re quintupling the space fee for an infant,” Commissioner Reece Barrick said.
Boyle pointed out that Hays is currently “the bottom of the barrel” in terms of pricing for infant spaces and that infant spaces are about half the size of the full burial space and require a significant amount of work. He also noted that other cities are in similar positions.
“All the ones above us (on the price chart) appear to have been stagnant just like we have for 15,20,30 years,” Boyle said.
Boyle said the recommended disinterment fees are significantly increased.
“It’ll cost us far more than where we’re at right now to actually perform the disinterment,” Boyle said.
The recommended fees are about the break-even point for the City.
“We don’t have a lot of disinterments, but it is something that when it does happens, we’d like to have that in place,” Boyle said.
Grave Opening Fees, Columbarium Grave Opening Fees, and Monument Setting Fees were all increased as well.
“It’s too bad when that happens because it kind of slaps you in the face,” Mayor Sandy Jacobs said.
Boyle agreed.
“I know I shared my disappointment last week and I share that with all departments. I think we need to be looking at every area like this so that we don’t have to have big increases,” Jacobs said.
Moving forward, Boyle said the cemetery price sheets will be reviewed every other year.
“At least that way we’re keeping up with where we’re at,” Boyle said.
He also emphasized that they will not make money on the cemetery, even with the increases.
“We’re still going to have a deficit,” Boyle said. “At least we’re trying to make up for some of that.”
The amendment also changed several other sections of the ordinance to provide clarification and consistency. It removed outdated language relating to grazing horses and livestock within the cemetery.
The amendment requires all cemetery certificates to be signed by the Mayor, as required by the State of Kansas. Additionally, the City will now require a 16-hour notice for interments and 10 days for disinterments. Internments will not occur on Sundays or City-recognized holidays.
Specific headstone requirements will be listed for the Memorial Gardens Cemetery and the interment permit will now include a description of the interment type (full burial vs.cremation) and the size of the urn being used.
“We have a columbarium that cremations can go in, they have a limitation on size,” Boyle said. “We need to know that going in so we can catch the process early on if needed to let the folks know that the size allowed is only this.”
The urn sizing also allows Parks staff to dig the cremation burial to the proper size.
After re-emphasizing the importance of periodically evaluating these fees, the Commission voted on the amendment. It passed 4-0.
Other items from the meeting included:
- Approval of the guaranteed maximum price and design-build agreement for Phase II of the new police station/municipal court
- Approval of the renewal of property/liability coverage
- Approval of purchase of a new Welcome Center marquee sign
The next City Commission meeting will be at 4:00 p.m. on June 26 at City Hall.
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