HomeMy WebLinkAboutCemetery Discussion.pdf Commission Memorandum
REPORT TO: Honorable Mayor and City Commission
FROM: Thom White, Parks and Cemetery Superintendent
Ron Dingman, Parks and Recreation Director
Chuck Winn, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: Cemetery Discussion
MEETING DATE: February 22, 2011
AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Action
RECOMMENDATION: Listen to staff’s presentation and follow up with questions and
discussion on Cemetery operations.
BACKGROUND: The Bozeman Sunset Hills Cemetery encompasses 56 developed acres and
60 acres that are undeveloped, or a total of 116 acres, and employs a full time staff of one
Foreman and two Service Workers.
From late spring to early fall the cemetery normally employs 5 to 6 seasonal workers to help
with maintenance duties. A large number of the seasonal help the City employs are students from
Montana State University (MSU) and they are usually available from the first of June to about
the end of August. Because Memorial Day is at the end of May and requires an enormous
amount of preparation to clean up the grounds, roads, and complete grave reclamations following
the winter season, Park employees assist Cemetery staff in the spring to help insure that the
Cemetery is ready for Memorial Day.
The Cemetery budget is currently funded for a total of 10,480 hours in personnel. 4,218 of these
hours are for seasonal workers. As outlined in the attached chart, the general predictable
workload accounts for about 8,940 hours, leaving about 1,540 hours. The predictable workload
hours calculation is a conservative estimate and does not take into account sick and vacation
leave or unforeseen situations and everyday work such as; equipment maintenance, meetings,
working with visitors, user groups, and vendors, patrolling and policing the Cemetery grounds,
training, ongoing block marker replacements, checking on and maintaining the Lindley Center,
etc.
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The main function of the Cemetery staff is the maintenance of the Cemetery and the interment
and disinterment of the deceased, and this dominates the major portion of their time. With 2
mowers operating, it takes at least a week, with good weather, to mow the entire formally
maintained Cemetery and approximately 2 weeks to weed eat. This is an ongoing process from
around May through October. Irrigation is also an ongoing process from spring and into fall.
An average full burial takes approximately 3 hours to locate, excavate, and prepare the site for
the service. It takes about 1.5 hours to complete the burial once the family has vacated the
Cemetery, and to put equipment and devices away.
The number of traditional full burials has experienced a slight decrease over the past few decades
and the number of cremations has increased. The labor and time for an ash burial is less than for
a full burial. However, the ash grave preparation is done by hand rather than with equipment. An
average ash grave preparation takes about 1.5 hours and about 1 hour to complete.
Both Full and Ash winter burials normally require snow removal to the burial site as well as
breaking through a layer of frost before reaching soft soil, both of which add time to the overall
operation. For all burials, of course, staff must wait for the funeral service to conclude before
they are able to complete the interment. The interment is completed as quickly as possible
following the departure of the family and friends.
Disinterment’s occur infrequently, but do take a considerable amount of time and resources when
they do occur. Over the past 3 years we have experienced an average of 2 to 3 disinterment’s per
year. The complete process takes 2 employees about a half a day to complete.
Work related to grave reclamation and maintenance consumes approximately 160 hours per year
and includes laying and watering sod, filling in settled graves, removal of old flowers, etc., and
monument repair and cleaning.
Since 2007 there have been many changes in Cemetery operations in an effort to maximize staff
efficiency and Cemetery funding. The Cemetery and Parks Divisions work together sharing
equipment and staff when and where needed. This has allowed us to maintain a high level of
service and maintenance in the Cemetery, as well as in the Parks, despite tight budgets
experienced over the past several years.
Reductions have been made in the Cemetery’s annual operating budget over the past 4 fiscal
years and staff has worked diligently to maintain the quality of maintenance and customer
service the public expects.
Fiscal Year Operations Budget Personnel Budget
FY08 $155,634 $287,592
FY09 $137,381 $318,641
FY10 $96,995 $307,272
FY11 $99,269 $311,131
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Budget reductions have included; reductions of $18,000 in contracted services and more than
$10,000 in the areas repair of and maintenance.
UNRESOLVED ISSUES: N/A
ALTERNATIVES: N/A
FISCAL EFFECTS: There are approximately of 150 burials per year in Sunset Hills
producing annual revenue of roughly $123,000. FY 2011 has experienced 107 burials to date
with 4.5 months remaining.
Plot sales generated approximately $58,000 in FY09 and FY10. An average of 10% of revenue
from plot sales is placed in the Perpetual Care Fund and interest from this fund is returned to the
General Fund to help reduce the Cemetery subsidy. Interest generated in FY09 was $15,836,
$10,348 in FY10, and so far in FY11 approximately $16,000.
As stated above, the FY11 operations budget is $99,269. The personnel budget is $311,131,
totaling $410,400. This does not include Capital Improvements Program (CIP) items. At the
current rates charged for burial services, and the current rates for burial plots, the Cemetery is
recovering about $123,000 per year, or 30% of its total budget, resulting in a general fund
subsidy of approximately 70%.
As requested by the Commission, staff has looked into what affects a possible 5%,
approximately $20,000, reduction in budget might have on Cemetery operations. After careful
review and discussion, staff has determined that an operations reduction of $11,500 would have a
minimal affect on the level of service and maintenance in the Cemetery, but an affect none the
less. Areas of reduction would include; building maintenance, weed spraying, road repair
materials, and expansion of the automated irrigation system.
Reducing the number of hours for seasonal positions from the currently budgeted 4,218 hours to
3,446 hours, would result in an additional $8,500 savings. This would be a reduction of 772
hours, or 1 seasonal position for 4.5 months. Combined with an $11,500 reduction in operations,
this would equate to a $20,000 or a 5% budget reduction.
While it is not staff’s recommendation to further reduce the Cemetery budget, we understand that
it may be necessary. If further reductions are made, we will continue to do our best to work
effectively and efficiently to maintain the Cemetery at the highest possible level.
Attachments: Chart of Cemetery duties
Report compiled on: February 9, 2011
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Cemetery man hours
Task # of
Staff
Hours per
week-or-
hours per
event
# of
weeks
# per year Hours per
year
Ash burial 1 2.5 hrs per
event
N/A 102x/year 255
Full
burial/Disinterment
2 4.5 hrs ea
event
N/A 70x/year 630
Weed Eating/
spraying weeds
2 80/hrs wk -
(2 people)
20 N/A 1600
Irrigation-moving
pipe
2 60/hrs wk- (2
people)
26 N/A 1560
Irrigation- maint/
repair/upgrades/
Winterization/startup
2 20/hrs wk -2
people
30 N/A 600
Mowing undeveloped
area and trails
1 7 hrs per
event
N/A 3 21
Mowing/mulching
formal Cemetery
2 80 hrs/wk-
2people
26 2080
Grave reclamation 2 2 hrs per
event
N/A 80x/year 320
Tree/hedge trimming
Limb raising, etc….
2 10/hrs wk -2
people
52 520
Plowing cemetery
and Highland
1 4 hrs per
event -1
person****
N/A 24x/year 96
Building
Maintenance
1 1 hr/ wk 52 ------ 52
Cemetery clean-up:
flowers, pinecones,
(spring and fall)
2 40 /hrs wk 5 -------- 200
Administrative
(foreman)
1 8 hrs/ wk 52 --------- 416
Winter projects and
equipment prep
2 20 hrs/ wk 16 ---------- 320
Turf care: aerating,
seeding/ gopher
eradication/fertilizing
/ weed spraying
1 6 hrs per
event
N/A 15x/year 90
Veteran’s Wall
Maintenance
1 1 hr per event -------- 24x/year 24
Sanding Cemetery 1 1.5 per event --------- 24x / year 36
Road Maintenance 2 When
necessary *
--------- ---------- 80
Removal of Dirt Pile 2 When
necessary*
--------- ---------- 40
APPROXIMATE HOURS DEVOTED EXCLUSIVELY TO THE CEMETERY = 8940
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