By L. Parsons The Winslow City Council met last week and in the absence of Councilman Robin Boyd, approved a fee schedule that prompted discussion before the vote. Eventually, the council decided to keep non-Winslow resident burial plots priced at $900 for adults. Non-residents outside of Navajo County will pay $1,200. Prior to that decision, Mayor Birdie Cano pulled the agenda item for discussion specifically to call attention to cemetery plot costs at Winslow’s Desert View Cemetery. Cano mentioned the issue in a previous meeting and expressed her concern over resident and non-resident burial costs. The proposed language of the fee schedule would have increased the cost of a burial plot from $1,200 to $2,000 for people living outside of Navajo County. Non-residents inside of Navajo County would pay $900 and Winslow residents would pay $450. These prices include perpetual care but do not include the added costs of opening and closing plots, crypts or setting headstones. Cano began, “This is something that is very important to me. The non-resident fee for burial of $2,000 is more than most people in our area can afford.” Cano continued, “I would be willing to set the cost for non-residents at $1,200. I feel very strongly that we are pricing people out of our cemetery and culturally, our tribal neighbors do not plan financially for burial. It’s a difficult time no matter what, when you lose a loved one. I was told that the reason we are changing the fee for anyone outside the city limit is because other cities around us are charging more than what we have been charging. If that is the real reason, then why is our residential price staying the same? “However, and I do realize things have to grow and adapt to cost, and I realize we have a space issue, but I don’t believe people are coming to Winslow to bury their loved ones because its cheap, there is a connection that people have to this town.” Councilman Rickey Jackson responded. “People living in the city are paying the taxes of the city. I don’t think we bring in enough revenue to maintain the cemetery as it is. I would like to know what the true cost of what it takes to bury someone and what the upkeep is. I think that would be important information before we make this decision.” Cano said, “We have space, we have the capability of building another fence and adding to our cemetery. People lost so many relatives this past year that it hurts my heart to see that if this increase happened last year, families would not have been able to bury their family members.” Winslow City Manager John Barkley responded stating, “The way we keep records for the cemetery is archaic at best. We need to get out of that and go digital. That is going to cost us some money. That’s one thing. We have space, but making that space into another area for the cemetery will cost and we are pushing against capacity. We want to provide better service with manpower to maintain the park. These are all factors.” Michele Ralston, an outreach and constituent service representative from Senator Mark Kelly’s Office addressed the council. In her presentation, she outlined that her job as the Northern Arizona representative of the Senator is to address constituent concerns and questions. She pointed out that the Senator is interested in partnerships and equitability as it pertains to the American Rescue Plan Act funding being allocated to counties and cities across Arizona. Following her presentation, the mayor and council expressed their desire to have Senator Kelly commit to helping to solve the Winslow levee situation. Jackson said, “Economic renewal is a priority here but we can’t do much, or attract talent to Winslow because of the lack of housing. That is due to the levee being non-compliant. People are unable to afford flood insurance and builders don’t want to build in the flood plain.” Ralston gave her contact information and assured the council she would deliver the message to the Senator. The Office of Senator Mark Kelly can be reached at (928) 606-1781. In other business, the council: * Heard the financial report for the month of April. In the report, Winslow Finance Director Elias Jouen pointed out that revenues across the city have increased compared to the same time last year. For the month, citywide revenues were $1.5 million bringing the year-to-date total to $15.1 million. Citywide expenditures were $1.3 million bringing the year-to-date total to $11.8 million. * Heard the quarterly report from Winslow Fire Chief James Hernandez in which the Chief said controlled fires within the city limits are currently still allowed by permit despite the county moving in to Stage 2 fire restrictions on public lands. * Heard a status update from Barkley in which he mentioned the former Elks Lodge building located on First Street that has been declared unsafe. The City has contacted the unnamed owners of the property and are moving forward with the abatement process. * Approved a lease and management agreement between the City and the Winslow Chamber of Commerce for use and stewardship of the Hubbell Building, located at 523 W. Second St. The Visitor’s Center and Chamber of Commerce have done business out of the building since 2009. This agreement extends the lease until June 30, 2024. * Approved a Tourism Promotion Contract between the City and the Winslow Chamber of Commerce. The contract has been intact for several years for the purpose of promotion, management, financing and/or development of the increased tourism in the City. The contract will expire on June 30, 2024. * Approved changes to the fee schedule with the exception of the burial fees charged by the city. The next meeting of the Winslow City Council will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 22, in the Hubbell Building.
