4 Nov 2024 Council meeting Other

Cemetery Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw

Motion
That: “Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw 2024, No. 7336.11” (a bylaw to amend the cemetery fees and charges) pass first reading. “Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw 2024, No. 7336.11” pass second reading. That “Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw 2024, No. 7336.11” pass third reading.
Sources
Agenda itemCity agenda, whole meeting
Staff reportPage 1
Purpose
To introduce fee increases associated with providing the services associated with cemetery operations.
Staff report, page 1
Staff recommendation
That Council give first reading to “Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw 2024, No. 7336.11” (a bylaw to amend the cemetery fees and charges). That Council give second reading to “Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw 2024, No. 7336.11”. That Council give third reading to “Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw 2024, No. 7336.11”.
Staff report, page 1
DocumentsStaff report about Economic Development

Questions and answers

Councillor Erin Hemmens
Speaker identificationConfident
Yes

asked
very much. Any questions? Staff. Councilor hemmons. Thank you, worship. Through you just after the point of curiosity. In the report, the discussion section, it notes that Nanaimo's current cemetery fees are significantly lower than comparable outlying municipalities, and therefore. That affordability is made in, Imo cemeteries, an attractive option.
City staff answered
So. We attract burials from other communities because. Our cemetery rates are so low. Is that accurate? We do have differential fees for nanimal residents and nonresidents, so non residents have a higher. Set of fees, but being as inexpensive as we are. We are attracting a lot of customers. And it's putting a lot of pressure on our ability to continue offering the service. Please don't say they're dying.
followed up
And follow up to that. The ministry also uses the cemeteries. Under what circumstances? If there is no family to

Councillor Ben Geselbracht
Speaker identificationConfident
Yes

asked
Gesselbrock: Thanks through you, mayor. Just curious the way that fees are set. Are we just benchmarking off of other communities, or do we try to set it so that. It's revenue neutral, in a sense, providing the service, or is there always going to be public subsidy, and I'm just kind of curious. How we set that. Sure. Thank
City staff answered
you. Through your worship. The cemetery. Fees are broken out into. Different activities. The first fee is the right of internment fee, and that's essentially purchasing the plot. So that's the real estate portion. I will point out that Bowen cemetery. Is fully sold out. So there's no more revenue coming in from that. We have no plots available for sale. The second part. Is the internment fees, and that is a cost recovery basis for the effort and time. To conduct the interments. You will notice that. There's some slightly different rates in the fees for internment. Our cemeteries are run. On double depth burial. So the first impermanent is down quite deep to allow a second. Internment to be placed on top. So it's more expensive to do that, to dig a larger hole, make sure it's adequately. Stabilized for the term of the service and then backfilling