Town council adopts new Aspen Hill Cemetery fees to cover winter interments and administrative costs

The town council on Sept. 28 unanimously approved a set of new cemetery fees intended to recover the costs of winter burial methods and certain administrative services.

Johnny Ziem, the town’s public works director, told the council the fees are designed to cover physical labor, equipment, operations and long‑term maintenance associated with burials and site preparation. He said staff is proposing four winter‑burial options that would allow the town to pre‑prepare vaults or pre‑excavate and sand sites so interments can proceed more safely in icy conditions. "Staff estimates that an additional 18 to 25 years of burial space could be achieved" through the proposed phase‑1 improvements to the cemetery, Ziem said during the presentation.

Ziem and cemetery superintendent Mike Halpin explained that the new administrative fees include a lot‑location fee for staff time to mark site corners, an improvement‑review fee ($60) to review monument or retaining‑wall proposals, and a claim‑filing fee to process ownership or heirship documentation. Halpin emphasized these fees are intended mainly for new purchases and to help recoup costs that otherwise would be absorbed by the cemetery budget: "These these fees are really only for new purchases," he said.

Councilors debated two approaches: adopt the detailed winter‑burial and administrative fees as proposed by staff or set a single, averaged year‑round fee that spreads winter costs across all burials. Some members said they preferred staff’s tiered recommendation because it charges more only to customers who require the more labor‑intensive winter services; others favored a single averaged fee for simplicity. The council ultimately moved to adopt the fees as presented and approved the motion unanimously.

What happens next: staff will implement the fee schedule for new purchases and continue to apply existing rates to owners and internments on existing lots. The council can revisit or refine fees during annual budget reviews, and staff said it expects to adjust rates annually as needed.