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ipal crew, thc cit.',' readily received the group's acceptance.
<br />The quality and speed of work improved dramatically. R.
<br />Klm Wilde, assistant to the city manager, said that the
<br />city has saved in fringe benefits, equipment costs, and
<br />potential workers' compensation cases.
<br /> Starting in 1981, Moline, Illinois contracted out the
<br />opening and closing of graves and installation of con:'rete
<br />foundations. Al Efflandt, the superintendent of parks
<br />and recreation who oversees the cemetery operation, said
<br />the city had been considering several alternative methods
<br />of delivering departmental services because of high union
<br />contracts. In 1982 the city added grounds maintenance to
<br />its cemetery contract. 'lM, o full-time positions have been
<br />dropped, service levels are up, and the city saves about
<br />$10,000 annually.
<br /> Similarly, three Michigan townships (Highland, Com-
<br />merce, Milford) recently signed a two-year cemetery
<br />maintenance contract. The range of me contractor's serv-
<br />ice, wider than in Moline, includes selling plots, opening
<br />and closing graves, maintaining records, and mowing
<br />and raking. Highland expects to save $5,700, Commerce
<br />$598, and Milford $2,706.
<br /> Cost-cutting and alternative service approaches, appear-
<br />ing recently in greater profusion in other local govern-
<br />ment service areas, are equally promising in cemetery
<br />management. If municipalities do not find ways to main-
<br />taln their cemeteries inexpensively, whatever else they do
<br />in their cemetery operations will be less effective. Bud
<br />Pointer, the recently retired manager of Ft. Lauderc:.ie,
<br />Florida's cemetery operation, wrote, "Good mint.te-
<br />non, ce is a very important part of a sales program.'"' The
<br />piace to star; for man)' municipal cemeteries ,:ruggiing to
<br />operate as a business is simply to raise their fees to the
<br />levels of their private competitors. Poor maintenance,
<br />however, makes this step very difficult.
<br />
<br />='~,~^~r'~NG THE CEMETERY
<br />
<br />~'"l:ese are '~rving times for quziified mona=ers oi
<br />mmm~pa cen-.~teries. Not c..~v ~. :,..x field misunder-
<br />stood but citizens' s:rutiny of ;axes is makhng some coun-
<br />cils less unquestior,.Lng about pro~idL.qg f,.mc2, s for thek'
<br />service.
<br /> Fiscal problems at the Coem- al'Alone, idaho, cemete.'q:'
<br /> .p ...... g dzas:ic action: cemetery
<br />(d:.s:ussed earlier) are ~
<br />operaions have been moved from eno municipal depa,~-
<br />merit to. another, mn independent ~.m~t~."5 board has
<br />been created, and soon two positions (~m.ost half the
<br />seal:) ~ill be dro;.ped. According to City Ad,,,-ninJ. strator
<br />Gene Mc. Adams the cemetery has a deficit of $100,000_..
<br />and n~ds a new wa:er ~ '
<br /> ~>s .... that v,5I! cost more
<br />S103,0(>O. But hecate." ldaho's voters approved a lorn', of
<br />a I percent tm'..: initiative, the cit.',' needs ~. two-thirds '.'otc
<br />m go beyond the tax iimi:ation to pa'..' off the deficit ~.nd
<br />purchase the vater system. The cemetery board has voted
<br />tc allow the e%c~ora:.'- :o decide on such a tax over-ride.
<br /> John E. Co:'win of tlc Milton, Massachusetts cemetery
<br />has v';-tched as Proposition 2¢'2 has crippled the already
<br />
<br />low priority municipal service of operating the cemetery.
<br />lie says thc lown's finance committee is not totally aware
<br />of the consequences for the cornereD' of budget constraints.
<br />Two years ago, his cemetery was $16,000 in the black, last
<br />year $75,000 in the black, making it the only municipal
<br />cemetery in the state to have a surplus. Bul the surplus is
<br />a result of drastic budget cuts and at the cost of services,
<br />said Corwin. He will no! be able to get new equipment,
<br />new fertilizer, loam, or chemical sterilants, nor money to
<br />develop future grave spaces and for paving roads within
<br />the cemetery. Corwin's hands are further tied by a state
<br />law that won't allow municipal cemeteries to use income
<br />from grave services and the perpetual care fund for main-
<br />tenance and development.
<br />
<br />With voters and councils alike scrutinizing
<br />revenues and expenditures, municip.al ceme-
<br />teries are going to have lo get as much as
<br />possible out of cemeteries' sow-cos of income.
<br />
<br /> With voters and councils alike scrutinizing revenues
<br />and expenditures, mumcipal cemeteries are.going to have
<br />to get as much as possible out of cemeteries' sources of
<br />income.. This income comes from three main sources:
<br />fees for burial services, sale of lots and related commodi-
<br />ties, and interest from the perpetual care fund.
<br />
<br />Fees
<br />
<br />"The major reason for the poor financial position of
<br />most municipal cemeteries lies ir; the inadequacy of their
<br />present rate structures," stated the 1968 MIS Report on
<br />ce..m, etery management.:* Indeed, many municipal cema-
<br />tar:es toda:.' cha.-ge fees that not o~Jy do not keep pace
<br />~5:5 costs but a.re unne:':ssa.-iiy low core,atari to those o5
<br />other public cemeteries. Low fees ~.'e a.n in,cation that
<br />cemete.~.' operation is not as professional as it cc'aid be,
<br />or is at least out of dare. It is a good idea to review
<br />market prices amnually, as James Conway's staff does in
<br />
<br /> ~.o ...... 5 ~- rates, a!se mentioned in "'
<br />1958 a.,xicle, apparently still prevails. A !980 s,.:.-vey of
<br />interment char%s~ in Massachusetts' municipal, :.,x~..,-,--; '~:~
<br />mhd church-reiated ....... e..e-, showed a wide ra.--.o_e for
<br />~urials~.v~..o- .,.~ at a,': adult's grave of from $70 tc
<br />The average intennem fee at the m,,.micipal cemeteries,
<br />approximately $!35, was well below the approximately
<br />5200. of the private and church-rela:=:J cemeteries. Cor-
<br />win's .Mi'eton Cemetery c;~--,g~d tn.~ ni~.hest fee Of mn"
<br />
<br /> · cern .... },
<br />
<br />n can be seen that hi~her fe"o may help the; ..... ' ' plo-
<br />ture of a municipal cemetery, but not nece.~sariiy t'
<br />quality of services. Although it is probably universaJy
<br />true that the fiscally healthiest municipal cemeteries
<br />
<br />
<br />
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