Wright City aldermen have approved increases to burial fees at the city cemetery.

City leaders spoke with members of the public and the Wright City Cemetery Memorial Society on June 1 to discuss the change in fees, leading to some small modifications to what had been proposed earlier this year, said Mayor Dan Rowden.

Under the ordinance approved 4-0 June 11, the cost of a grave site is increased from $100 to $400 per grave. The cost to open and close graves is increased from $25 to $200.

Those increases are offset somewhat by a decrease in mandatory payment to Wright City’s cemetery endowment fund, which helps pay for perpetual maintenance. That fee dropped from $200 to $25.

The overall change combining those three fees is an increase of $300 to secure a grave and perform a burial.

City leaders say the fee changes are necessary to make up for a funding shortfall for cemetery maintenance. The endowment fund, which is essentially an investment account, simply doesn’t supply enough interest revenue to cover the cost of regular mowing and caretaking at the cemetery, City Administrator Jim Schuchmann explained during previous discussion.

The new ordinance continues a policy of charging non-residents higher rates for grave sites and services. Those who live outside Warren County are charged double for gravesite, burial and endowment fee.

Residents who live within Warren County, but outside Wright City, are charged only 150 percent of the base rate.

Those who own business property in Wright City or Warren County would be charged for services based on the location of their business, according to the ordinance. So for example, anyone who owns commercial property inside Wright City would pay the in-city rates for burial.

Mayor Rowden said there were three members of the public and Memorial Society members participating in the June 1 discussion about the ordinance. Their input was combined with other comments supplied earlier this year, Rowden said.

“We’re glad to have the cemetery ordinance finalized. We appreciate the Memorial Society and all the people who have provided comments and information,” Rowden commented.

Along with the fee changes, the ordinance revises how the city handles plantings and monuments at the cemetery, and limits unauthorized decorative features that would impede maintenance. It also establishes a time frame in which flowers will be removed after certain holidays.