By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — The cost of dying is going up along with cost of living.

Spring Town Meeting overwhelmingly voted last week to increase the town’s cemetery fees by approving Article 13.

Town Administrator Rob Dolan said the town’s cemetery fees have not increased in many years. He said DPW Director John Tomasz recently compared the town’s current cemetery fees with similar costs in Lynn, Peabody, Reading, Stoneham and Wakefield.

“We are looking at all of our fees to make sure we are aligned with our neighbors,” said Dolan. “While conducting that analysis, we realized we were not.”

Dolan noted that the town proposed increasing cemetery fees as part of an effort to expand Forest Hill Cemetery and Willow Cemetery because both locations are running low on space.

“We are feverishly trying to look at ways to expand our cemeteries in a way that is creative and responsible,” said Dolan. “This will allow us to look at all options to make sure the people of Lynnfield will have adequate burial space for decades to come.”

School Committee member Jamie Hayman caught a typo in the Spring Town Meeting warrant booklet. Town Meeting unanimously voted to amend Article 13 to make sure the correct fee was approved.

Subsequently, Spring Town Meeting approved Article 13 by a 143-9 margin.

Assistant Town Administrator Bob Curtin informed the Villager that the Attorney General’s Office will need to sign off on the approved General Bylaw before it goes into effect.

The cost for an individual grave for a current resident or a former town employee will be increasing from $600 to $1,000. The cost for the DPW to maintain a resident or former employee’s grave perpetually will be going up from $400 to $500.

There will also new fees for former residents who want to be buried in town. The cost for a single grave will soon be $1,200 and the fee for perpetual care will be $800. There will be a two grave limit for former residents.

Additionally, the cost for interment will be increasing from $750 to $1,000. The cremation burial fee will be going up from $300 to $500. The cost to exhume a body will be increasing from $1,000 to $2,000.

The fee for burying a child under the age of 2 will remain at $200. There is no fee for burying a stillborn baby.

TM supports veterans

Spring Town Meeting also approved two warrant articles that will support the town’s veterans.

Assessing Manager Victor Santaniello explained that Article 14 would allow the town to accept the provisions of a state law that would allow veterans living in properties held by a trustee, conservator or other fiduciary to be able to receive real estate tax exemptions. He recalled that former Gov. Charlie Baker signed the law two years ago.

“It includes a local option where a veteran whose home might be in a trust to still receive the earned disabled veterans benefit they would otherwise be entitled to,” said Santaniello.

Voters approved Article 14 by a 159-4 vote.

Santaniello said Article 15 would allow the town to accept provisions of a state law that would exempt Gold Star parents or guardians from paying real estate taxes on their late child’s property if they were soldiers, sailors and National Guard members who died in active service or as the result of their service.

“This adoption would enable the Board of Assessors to grant a full tax exemption to Gold Star parents,” said Santaniello.

In response to a question from Trickett Road resident Wayne Perry, Santaniello said Article 15 would apply to all members of the armed forces who are killed in action.

“It would be for any person who died in service,” said Santaniello. “The intent is not to exclude any service member.”

Voters approved Article 15 by a 150-7 vote.

Additional warrant articles

Spring Town Meeting approved the Article 1, which is the annual Town Report, 161-6.

Voters approved Article 2, which appointed Robert MacKendrick, David Crockett and Christopher Barrett as field drivers; Crockett as pound keeper; and Crockett, MacKendrick and Kenneth Burnham as wood measurers.

Town Meeting approved Article 3, which set the salaries for the Select Board and Board of Assessors. Select Board Chairman Joe Connell will be receiving $850, while Select Board members Phil Crawford and Dick Dalton will each receive $750. Board of Assessors Chairman Donald Garrity will receive $4,150 in FY24, while Board of Assessors members Bonnie Celi and Richard O’Neil Jr. will each receive $3,550.

“The compensation for elected officials hasn’t changed in years,” said Town Moderator Joe Markey

Voters approved Article 4 by a 152-10 vote, which transferred $665,700.78 to supplement certain accounts in the current FY23 budget.

Town Meeting voted to pay $2,231.19 in overdue bills from a prior fiscal year by approving Article 5.

Voters approved Article 8, which appropriated $50,000 to the Capital Facilities Fund, by a 154-14 vote.

Town Meeting voted 156-12 to allocate $150,000 to the Stabilization Fund by approving Article 10.

Voters approved appropriating $845,394 to the Emergency Medical Service Enterprise Fund budget by passing Article 10 in a 159-7 vote.

“The EMS Enterprise Fund is funded by user fees and not from tax revenue,” explained Town Accountant/Assistant Finance Director Julie McCarthy.

Voters approved Article 11, which will allocate $1,104,332 for the Golf Enterprise Fund budget, 156-13. Similar to the EMS Enterprise Fund, McCarthy noted that the golf course’s fees are used to run both courses.

Spring Town Meeting approved Article 12, which once again set the spending limits for the town’s revolving funds. The limit for the Council on Aging’s revolving fund totals $85,000. The Board of Health’s revolving fund’s limit is $15,000. The Lynnfield Public Library’s revolving fund limit totals $10,000. Lynnfield Recreation’s revolving fund limit equals $340,000. The DPW’s fields’ revolving fund limit totals $100,000. The DPW’s revolving fund limit for the Al Merritt Media and Cultural Center is $10,000.