San Benito boosts cemetery prices

Jan. 18—SAN BENITO — San Benito city commissioners' move to boost prices at San Benito Memorial Park will make it harder for many families here to afford burying their loved ones, a funeral director says.

For about three years, officials have been holding back on boosting prices at the cemetery where a tall black granite monument stands over the grave of hometown hero Freddy Fender.

After about a month of delays, commissioners Tuesday agreed to take City Manager Manuel De La Rosa's proposal, arguing they are boosting burial prices to offset an increase in grave-digging costs.

During a series of meeting, officials said gravediggers' costs have jumped to about $500 a grave.

Offsetting gravediggers' costs

At San Benito City Hall, spokesman David Favila said the price hikes will offset increasing gravediggers' costs.

"The reasoning behind the increased fees at the City Cemetery is that the rise coincides with the cost increase of the contractors the city uses to open and close graves," he stated Wednesday.

Meanwhile, officials are allowing local funeral homes to make payments for families burying their loved ones, Favila stated.

"Additional payment options were approved so that local funeral homes can make payments for services on behalf of grieving families," he stated.

Despite the price increases, burial costs remain lower at the public cemetery than at private cemeteries such as Mont Meta Memorial Park, officials said.

End of 'subsidies'

Since the city's past administration, officials had been subsidizing about $50 for every grave, they said.

"It's one of those things — inflationary costs," Commissioner Pete Galvan said Wednesday, referring to the price increases. "We weren't at the market rate where we needed to be so the city ended up subsidizing some of the costs. With this, we make sure the city in compensated accordingly."

After years of helping cover burial costs, Commissioner Rene Garcia said it was time to stop subsidizing burials for residents who can afford the city's prices.

"Subsidies occur when there's a need for it," he said. "For me, subsidies, if they're for the indigent, if it's to help somebody out, I like it — special consideration for the indigent. But we have people with insurance and a way to pay.

We still have to maintain the cemetery."

Harder to afford burying loved ones

However, at Thomae-Garza Funeral Home, Juan Sierra, a funeral director who serves on the Los Fresnos school board, said gravediggers costs have remained stable at $500 a grave.

"That's ridiculous," he said, referring to the price increases. "How do they justify that? If they're increasing prices, how come there are no improvements made to the park?"

The jump in prices will make it harder for many families to bury their loved ones, Sierra said.

"It's supposed to be a community cemetery," he said. "It's definitely going to impact the community. Our families are already challenged financially. It's tough enough as it is for them. It's going to make it tougher."

Price increases

During Tuesday's meeting, commissioners agreed to boost the costs of opening and closing adult graves from $450 to $650 while increasing the cost of digging and closing children's graves from $225 to $300.

While officials increased the cost of opening and closing urns from $225 to 3o0, they set the price of burying bodies more than four feet by nine feet at $850.

Meanwhile, the cost of adult plots on each side of the Freddy Fender Memorial remained set at $2,000.

Developing Memorial Park

For about three years, commissioners had held back on boosting cemetery prices.

In 2020, De La Rosa proposed boosting plot prices to try to slow down sales to out-of-towners who were buying up burial sites at the public cemetery boasting some of the area's lowest costs.

While average plots are selling for about $2,000, area cemeteries' prices run at about $3,500.

At the time, officials began expanding the cemetery off Highway 345.

As they planned Memorial Park's second phase, officials opened a new section of the cemetery, making way for about 576 plots.

Meanwhile, a new Baby-Infant Lawn included 312 plots.

Background

In 2009, the city opened Memorial Park, featuring the black granite monument looming over Fender's grave site.

As part of the project, officials used $250,000 in economic development money to build up the cemetery, planning to draw tourists to the Grammy Award-winning singer's grave.

Across 17 acres, officials originally planned Memorial Park's first phase to include 750 plots.