The District of 100 Mile Hosue has implemented a new bylaw that will equalize cemetery fees for all residents in the South Cariboo.
Prior to the implementation of the new bylaw, there was a difference in fees for 100 Mile residents versus non-residents. According to district administrator Roy Scott, cemetery use was fairly distributed amongst residents and non- residents.
The District also compared the current fee structure to a number of other communities across the province and the council elected to amend the fee structure to be somewhere in the middle of the pack.
“We did a review of cemetery fees and compared them across the province and we landed somewhere in the middle,” said Scott. “The primary purpose of the exercise was to come up with a price for all people in the South Cariboo, so they were all being treated the same.”
Read more: New cemetery tax for CRD residents
The cemetery price list that was adopted in 2007, considered a resident as someone living within the boundaries of 100 Mile. A non-resident was anybody living in the outlying communities.
The fee for an adult grave space was $350 for a resident with a $500 burial fee. The fee for a non-resident was $515 with a $700 burial fee. Now there is a standard fee for all residents within the South Cariboo but it is slightly more. The fee for an adult grave space is now $550 for a resident with a $650 burial fee. The fee for a non-resident is $715 with a $650 burial fee.
“The fees were developed in 2017 but we didn’t put them in place until we had a chance to talk with the Cariboo Regional District,” said Scott. “We went to the CRD with a proposal to redefine the boundaries for residents in electoral areas G, H and L.”
The new fees come with a slight increase but are comparable to other municipalities. In Cache Creek, an adult grave space costs $500 and in Williams Lake, it is $575.
“We came up with an average rate from all of the communities,” said Scott.
The new bylaw also splits the net cost of the cemetery between the district and the Cariboo Regional District.
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