MINTO – This municipality is dropping a policy of charging different rates for residents and non-residents for interment in the town’s three municipal cemeteries.
One of the projects included in the 2022 capital budget was the purchase and installation of two 72-niche columbaria for Palmerston and Harriston cemeteries.
An existing columbarium at Clifford Cemetery was donated to the Town of Minto about 10 years ago and is approximately 33 per cent sold.
The fee structure currently in place for the Clifford columbarium charges Minto residents a total of $1,000 for interment and maintenance fees, while non-residents are charged $1,200.
“The existing non-resident fee has proven to be challenging to administer,” states a staff report from roads and drainage manager Mike McIsaac presented to Minto council on Aug. 9.
“There have been circumstances where someone has lived in Minto the majority of their life and only moved out of Minto shortly before their passing.
“Their wishes were to be laid to rest in Minto and at the time of passing would be considered a non-resident.”
The staff report recommended a new price structure for the columbaria at Palmerston and Harriston cemeteries, along with amendments to the fee structure for the Clifford Cemetery columbarium.
The new fees will see charges of $1,100 or $1,300 for columbarium interment based on position at all three cemeteries.
“It’s harder to sell the bottom two rows in them just for visual sight-lines being down lower. Everything at eye level or higher, seems to go first, so we thought it’d be appropriate to have an option for a lesser-value niche on those lower ones,” McIsaac told council.
Staff also recommended the fee for cemetery plots and cremation gardens interment be standardized for both residents and non-residents.
The fee for plots will now be $1,100, while cremation gardens’ interment will cost $600.
The staff report notes a review confirmed the proposed changes are comparable with fees charged by neighbouring municipalities.
Council approved the report and later in the meeting passed a bylaw confirming the new fee schedule.
