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Amendments to the Town Code and Fees Schedule for Additional Options at Westwood Cemetery
PURPOSE: Adopt amendments to the Town Code and Miscellaneous Fees and Charges Schedule to establish new interment options at Westwood Cemetery as outlined in the approved Westwood Cemetery Master Plan, and to set associated fees and charges for these new options to cover costs and ensure cemetery sustainability.
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Department
DEPARTMENT: Planning & Public Works
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Contact
CONTACT INFORMATION: Patricia McGuire, Planning Director, 919-918-7327, pmcguire@carrboronc.gov; Kevin Belanger, Public Works Director, 919-918-7427, kbelanger@carrboronc.gov
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Council Direction
COUNCIL DIRECTION:
___ Race/Equity ____ Climate ____ Comprehensive Plan __X__Other
Council Direction Statement
The Town Council held two work sessions on the Westwood Cemetery over the past year - the first on October 11, 2022, and the second on June 15, 2023. A master plan reflecting direction provided by the Town Council from those work sessions was approved on September 19, 2023. Racial and Equity Pocket Questions have been prepared (Attachment E).
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Information
INFORMATION: The resolution adopting a Westwood Cemetery Master Plan on September 19, 2023 also included direction to move forward with a phased implementation of the plan (Attachment C). Staff have been taking steps for installation of stormwater and vehicle access infrastructure associated with the creation of new burial spaces. The Westwood Cemetery plan provides for 1,672 additional burial spaces, with 631 for traditional burials, 410 for natural burials, and 631 for remains from cremation and other offsite processes.
The Town Council adopted a resolution clarifying the use of undeveloped greenspace on October 24, 2023 (Attachment D). All meeting materials are available at <https://carrboro.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6354386&GUID=45B376DA-C527-493C-AF03-8A83D3ADEA65&Options=&Search=> for September 19 and <https://carrboro.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=6390391&GUID=E8EA2F4E-9CAE-4FD8-953A-DE4456326FA7&Options=&Search=> for October 24.
Town Code and Fee Schedule revisions are needed to include the additional types of burial spaces at Westwood Cemetery. A revision has also been included to specify additional items that deteriorate to those that the Town can remove during cemetery maintenance. These changes include:
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Fiscal and Staff Impact
FISCAL IMPACT:. There are minimal impacts associated with amending the Town Code and Fee Schedule. A cost estimate for the Master Plan’s implementation provided last September is $630,000, with initial work to open up new burial spaces underway using remaining master planning funds.
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Recommendation
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Town Council approve amendments to the Town Code and the resolution amending the Fees and Charges Schedule (Attachments A and B).
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