Cemetery fees to soar in Nelson to meet policy goals
Burial costs in Nelson are set for a major jump after the council voted to increase cemetery fees.
From July 1, fees for cemeteries will increase by 23 per cent.
The price of a single plot purchase will rise from $1814 to $2231, and burial interment from $776 to $973 – amounting to an increase of $714 per burial.
The changes have come about as a result of council moving towards more consistency on its revenue and finance policy – which requires 40-60 per cent of council-owned cemeteries’ operating costs to be privately funded.
In a council workshop in January, it was proposed the rates remission policy for cemeteries be removed, which would also increase the overall operating costs of council-owned cemeteries in Marsden Valley and Wakapuaka. Councillors passed the proposal at a meeting of the community and services committee on Thursday, although it was not a unanimous decision.
Councillors Rachel Sanson, Gaile Noonan and Kate Fulton voted against the proposal, saying the fee increase was too steep.
The initial recommendation to the council was to spread out the increase – with fees going up by 10 per cent over three years.
In a staff report, feedback from funeral directors suggested a 23 per cent increase was ‘‘not feasible’’, and would result in criticisms from the public.
Mayor Rachel Reese spoke in favour of the proposal, saying there was urgency for the council to get its fees and charges in line with its revenue and finance policy position. While the increase was significant, the alternative was to continue to put through ‘‘false figures about the real cost of things’’. ‘‘I don’t think the expectation should be that we continue to really underfund this area, we need to collect the fees and charges, recognising that there are still significant ratepayer contributions to looking after cemeteries and crematoria.
‘‘It is not something I enjoy doing but what I enjoy less is asking ratepayers to pay for things that I really don’t think they should be paying for.’’
Deputy mayor Judene Edgar said that while it was nice to hold fees lower, the reality was there would always be a catch-up at some stage.
Noonan said that while she supported an increase, doing it in one year was ‘‘just way too much’’. ‘‘We do have to recover some costs I agree but I would have been happy with the officer recommendation.’’
The fee increases will be in effect from July 1, while the removal of the rates remission policy for cemeteries will go out for public consultation in the 2021-31 Long Term Plan.