Trelawny councillor wants funeral homes to pay for public burial spots

WESTERN BUREAU:

Garth Wilkinson, councillor for the Falmouth division in the Trelawny Municipal Corporation (TMC), wants funeral homes to pay a fee to secure burial spots in public cemeteries to help generate funding for their upkeep.

Wilkinson made his position known as he moved a resolution at last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the TMC in Falmouth.

“We have 18 [public] cemeteries in Trelawny, and all of them are in need of proper maintenance and the municipality cannot afford it,” Wilkinson explained to The Gleaner after the meeting. “The time has come for funeral homes to be charged a fee, which will be used for that purpose.”

In defence of his stance, Wilkinson said other municipalities, including in the neighbouring parish of St James, are already charging the funeral homes a fee.

“The cemetery operators in St James charge no less than $100,000 for each burial spot,” said Wilkinson.

Funeral home operator Paul Patmore, who operates Patmore Funeral Home in Lowe River in the southern section of the parish, told The Gleaner that he fully supports the resolution.

“The cemeteries need proper maintenance. Almost all of them are full of bush and trees,” he said, adding that they should be treated like parks, where people can visit in comfort.

Patmore is also calling for greater regulation of funeral homes by the Government, which he believes is key to creating order in that sector.

“Presently, anyone can put up a sign on a breadfruit tree and start operating a funeral home,” said Patmore. “There are more regulations governing the sale of a drink of rum than a funeral home, especially with health issues surrounding the handling of a body.”

However, Shana Pine, who operates of Marriott’s Funeral Home, which is located in Falmouth, rejects the idea, saying the municipal corporation lacks the credibility to take such a position.

“Mi not paying a single dime,” she said angrily. “Right now, $11,000 is being paid by each family, what are they doing with that?”

“I do the cleaning of my husband’s spot. They need to clean up their act. Presently I am yet to paid for burying paupers. Every time you call, you get a different excuse,” she continued. “It is better for them to clean up the garbage in the town than trying to dip in poor people’s pockets “

editorial@gleanerjm.com