The last rest is more expensive in Bad Tölz.
The main and finance committee dealt with cemetery fees at its most recent meeting.
Bad Tölz - In fact, it was a long time ago that the fees were changed.
“We have essentially had the same fees since 2006,” explained Chamberlain Hermann Forster at the meeting.
The problem: Expenditures in the cemetery and funeral sector have increased significantly over the past 15 years - among other things, personnel costs have increased by 30 percent in this period.
The deficit grows from year to year
The result: the city is left with ever higher costs from year to year.
If the shortfall in 2017 was around 106,700 euros, last year it was a good 148,000 euros.
With this in mind, the municipal auditing association recently recommended adjusting the fees for grave sites, but also for the various burial services.
Ten percent increase in most fees planned
Forster emphasized that 100 percent coverage would never be achieved.
This is also due to the fact that, for example, the costs of maintaining the cemetery are passed on to all grave sites - even those that have not yet been sold.
However, the delta between income and expenditure could be reduced if all fees were increased by ten percent, according to the administration's proposal.
You would end up with a shortfall somewhere between 70,000 and 100,000 euros per year.
In addition, the administration proposes to review the fees at least every five years in the future.
The cost of a child's grave will not be increased
The amounts that have only recently been added would be excluded from the increase - for example those for a tree burial.
One does not want to touch the cost of a child's grave either.
Josef Steigenberger (CSU) was skeptical.
"Certain things are part of life, I don't want to do business with them," he said.
He is simply against increasing the cost of grave sites.
"Many can not afford that now," said Steigenberger.
Registry office manager Wolfgang Steger did not want to leave it like that.
“If you are not able to pay the amount all at once, you can pay it off in installments over five or ten years.
So everyone can afford it. ”To illustrate: An urn grave currently costs - depending on the location - between 260 and 360 euros for ten years.
After the increase it would be 290 to 400 euros.
For a departmental grave, 290 to 410 euros have to be paid for ten years.
After the increase it would be 320 to 450 euros.
The city council has the final say
Richard Hoch (Greens) found the adjustment sensible.
“We need a little better cost recovery.” He wanted to know whether a kind of “social tariff” might be conceivable for everyone who is not financially so well positioned.
That was not a case for the fee statute, said Steger.
Ultimately, his employees could not even check the neediness of people.
“But if the worst comes to the worst, we will refer you to the social welfare authorities.” Those affected who cannot afford a burial or a grave can already find the help they need there.
In the end, the committee voted against Steigenberger's vote in favor of the fee adjustment.
The final decision on the whole thing has to be made by the city council.
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