The following opinion piece is a community submission and doesn’t reflect the opinion of TRN Media, which encompasses SweetwaterNOW and The Radio Network. 

By Autumn Crosby, Vase Funeral Home

Dear Mayor and Members of the Green River City Council, 

I am writing to express my concerns regarding the recently adopted Cemetery Schedule of Fees and the decision to assess burial equipment setup fees directly to funeral homes while excluding those fees from information provided to the public. 

While the City’s email states that the Burial Equipment Setup Fees are operational charges billed to the funeral home, this characterization does not accurately reflect the role of Vase Funeral Home in the process. We do not utilize these services for our own benefit, nor do we absorb these costs as a business expense. We simply act as a liaison between the families we serve and the City of Green River. These fees are incurred because a family has selected burial services within the City cemetery, and ultimately the cost is borne by the family. 

By choosing not to include these fees in the cemetery brochure, the City is withholding a portion of the actual costs associated with burial services from the public. Families deserve transparency regarding all charges they may incur when making funeral and cemetery arrangements. Excluding these fees from public-facing materials creates unnecessary confusion and leaves funeral homes in the position of explaining costs that originate with the City but were never disclosed by the City. 

The City’s explanation that including these fees could create confusion regarding responsibility for payment is difficult to understand. A simple notation indicating that these fees are assessed by the City and collected through the funeral home would provide complete transparency while eliminating any misunderstanding. 

I am also concerned about the transparency surrounding the adoption and presentation of these fees. The principles embodied within the Wyoming Administrative Procedure Act emphasize openness in government decision-making, public awareness of fees and policies that affect citizens, and the importance of ensuring that the public has access to clear and accurate information. While I am not suggesting that the Act directly governs this matter, I believe its underlying principles provide a useful framework. In this instance, excluding certain cemetery-related fees from public-facing materials appears inconsistent with the goal of providing citizens with a complete understanding of the costs they may incur when utilizing City cemetery services. 

During last year’s budget discussions, I suggested incorporating the cost of cemetery equipment setup into the opening and closing fee structure. Doing so would simplify the fee schedule, provide greater transparency, and make it easier for grieving families to understand the costs associated with burial services. More importantly, it would avoid creating the perception that families are being charged a series of separate fees for services that are all part of a single burial process. 

Unlike many specialized municipal services, cemetery operations are a public service provided for the benefit of Green River residents, much like other City-operated facilities. The cemetery is staffed by City employees who are compensated through their regular wages, and the setup of burial equipment is part of the overall service being provided. For that reason, separating these costs into additional fees that are not publicly disclosed seems contrary to the goal of transparency. 

I respectfully ask the Council to reconsider the decision to omit these fees from public-facing materials and to explore a more transparent fee structure that accurately reflects the total cost of cemetery services. The residents of Green River deserve a complete understanding of the fees associated with services provided by their municipal cemetery.