Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Municipal/Public Burial Fees Surging

Speaking of the now and the future of cemeteries:

Many municipalities across the U.S. own their own cemeteries.  Typically their fees are relatively reasonable.  But that is changing quickly.  Given the poor economy many municipalities are raising their prices for these cemeteries, often dramatically.  This is painful for those who use these cemeteries.  As an FYI, relative to many urban cemeteries these municipal cemetery fees are still often much much lower than their urban for profit corporate cemeteries.  For profit cemeteries typically have, and have had, at least one price increase a year across the board for all of their different fees:  cost of graves/crypts/lawn crypts/cremation interment options, opening and closing of the grave, etc. interment fee, outer burial container vaults, memorialization, etc.  They are very good at raising prices, partly to pay for sales commissions to cemetery representatives, and to pay for their layers of management/stock options, etc.

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