A Bega Valley Shire councillor has called for the introduction of an annual fee to reserve conventional burial plots at four local cemeteries.
The council is trying to contact those who have had places reserved for as long as decades with the number of spots fast running out.
An audit has found there is less than 40 plots that aren’t already reserved left at Bega, Eden, Pambula and Bermagui cemeteries. Current records have been described as sketchy as they were historically managed over the years by local community committees.
The council will now only allocate the remaining plots for the next six months as people die.
Councillor David Porter said a small admin fee would allow the council to keep better records of who owns the plots.
“The key problem here seems to be people make a reservation then disappear and you don’t know where they are, you can’t contact them,” Councillor Porter said.
“If there was even a $5 or $10 whatever it is annual fee to keep that burial reservation alive it would solve all these problems yet people would still be able to reserve a plot,” he said.
A decision was deferred until the outcome of the search for reservation owners is known.
