MINTO – Town council has approved a report on the Minto Cemeteries Master Plan and directed staff to proceed with implementation.
An executive summary of the plan was presented to council on Sept. 3 by roads and drainage manager Mike McIsaac and Triton Engineering senior planner Bill White.
It notes Minto devotes 35 acres of land to cemeteries in or near Palmerston, Harriston and Clifford, established in 1876, 1881 and 1886 respectively.
Pioneer cemeteries
There are also six pioneer cemeteries in the town’s rural areas.
The 2019 cemetery budget is $112,268.
It is funded by $11,000 from care and maintenance fund interest, $58,500 from revenue and $42,768 from property tax.
The budget is up $22,068 from 2018, with the increase covering added grass cutting and maintenance.
“Obviously council chose this year to invest more in maintenance,” said White, who predicted the move could result in reduced complaints about cemetery conditions.
White also noted the plan, developed by Triton, calls for a reduction in the tax-funded component of the cemetery budget moving forward.
“The amount of money that comes from the tax dollars is increased from 2018 to 2019 and the document talks a little bit about trying to bring that down over time,” he pointed out.
A 10-year financial model shows a move toward a higher user-pay component, with tax support dropping from 57 to 37 per cent.
The report indicates past trends show 30% of local interments occur in Palmerston, 55% Harriston and 15% Clifford.
Enough capacity
Though annual burial rates in Minto are projected to increase from around 85 to more than 100 in the coming years, the report indicates local cemeteries have enough capacity.
“Space is already available for over 4,000 interments lasting more than 25 years at current rates,” the plan indicates.
In 2018 the town engaged Hilton Landmarks to prepare development concepts.
They show how each cemetery could be improved over time to include such features as cremation gardens and columbarium walls, towers and other forms.
Scattering gardens
There could also be low-impact memorialization such as scattering gardens.
“The plan makes some assumptions but it’s not etched in stone,” said White.
“It will be up to council and staff as to when you want to make those investments.”
Mayor George Bridge said the new Cemeteries Master Plan gives council “a template to work with going forward.
“I think when we started this project there was some concerns about the maintenance and there was some concerns about other things. And we just made it into a bigger project to make sure that we know going forward how we want to direct some of the funding.”
