Demorest sets higher cemetery plot price for nonresidents

Demorest City Council unanimously adopted a new two-tier cemetery plot price structure at its July 2, 2024 regular meeting, setting plots at $500 for current city residents, city employees and retirees and $800 for people who live outside the city. The 4-0 vote converted a proposal discussed earlier that day into city policy.

The decision directly affects families arranging burial space in Demorest. It creates a documented lower-price category for people currently residing in the city and for city employees and retirees, while requiring outside-city buyers to pay $300 more per plot.

Before the regular-session vote, the mayor and council took up the subject during a July 2 work session. That discussion described a recommendation to raise plot prices from $400 to $800, paired with a proposed $500 price for current citizens and an $800 price for noncitizens. Later in the regular session, the council approved the more specific structure identifying current residents, employees and retirees as eligible for the $500 rate.

For current Demorest residents, as well as city employees and retirees, the action established the lower listed price. People living outside city limits face the higher $800 charge. The regular-session minutes record that Councilman Davis made the motion and Councilman Ferguson seconded it before the council approved the measure unanimously, 4-0.

The rate structure was approved, not merely proposed. The work-session discussion referred to a broader increase from $400 to $800, but the completed council action set two rates: $500 for the eligible resident, employee and retiree category and $800 for outside-city residents. The record does not identify a later city notice, cemetery sales record or amendment confirming how the policy has been applied or whether the rates have since changed.

The next concrete public development for families seeking a plot would be a current city cemetery price notice or sales record showing which rate is being charged. Until such a record or a later amendment appears, it remains unresolved whether Demorest issued implementation guidance after the July 2024 vote or altered the approved prices.