Cemetery Enterprise Fee Increase

At a glance

• What: A resolution repealing the earlier fee resolution and establishing the fees and charges of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Cemetery Enterprise for 2027 (agenda file 26-182; the attachment is titled "Cemetery Fee Increase Resolution" with an Exhibit A of 2027 fees and a signed Resolution 60-26).
• Where it stands: Introduced at the City Council Work Session of June 8, 2026. No vote was taken at the work session and no comments from the public are recorded; the minutes collected for this page do not show the final vote.
• Why it matters: The enterprise is meant to break even from its own fees. Council questions turned on its market position, remaining grave inventory and the cost of buying more land.

Detail

• Kim King, Assistant Director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, presented the resolution and an overview of the fees and charges process. The agenda title says it repeals Resolution No. 86-25 while the minutes text says Resolution No. 71-24; the record does not explain the difference.
• Market position: asked by Henjum, King said the enterprise tries to break even by covering its costs with a small amount extra for capital expenses, and that it is average compared with the market.
• Cheryl Godbout, Cemetery Operations Manager, covered service levels, the 2027 fees and charges, revenues versus expenditures, new fees and important dates.
• Future capacity: about six sections of property are available for development. Inventory of multiple adjoining spaces is dwindling, which is why developing the new sections at Fairfield and Evergreen cemeteries matters. Additional land purchases are expected in roughly ten to twenty years, and the enterprise does not have the finances to explore targeted land now (answers to Donelson and Rainey).
• Finances: the permanent fund (the corpus) is approximately $12 million. The cemetery has 640 blocks (question from President Crow-Iverson).
• Other answers: the national cemetery has not changed the volume of burials; a vault is a protective container that keeps the ground from sinking; the Monument Disposal Fee covers removing and destroying a headstone.

Sources

• City Council Work Session minutes, June 8, 2026: https://legistar2.granicus.com/coloradosprings/meetings/2026/6/2787_M_City_Council_Work_Session_26-06-08_Meeting_Minutes.pdf (item 7.A, file 26-182).

Log

2026-06-08 - City Council Work Session

Introduced under Items for Introduction; questions from Henjum, Donelson, Rainey and Crow-Iverson on market position, grave inventory, land, the fund balance and fee categories. No vote.