At its meeting yesterday, December 17, the Aachen City Council decided to increase the cemetery fees. The background to this is the significant rise in costs in the operational area of cemetery maintenance in recent years.

The cemetery administration of Aachen's municipal services maintains 27 cemeteries and five memorials in the city. The burial system has changed considerably in recent years; coffin burials in row graves and elective graves are steadily decreasing. Instead, small urn graves that do not require as much care by the relatives are being used. The proportion of particularly inexpensive anonymous urn burials in near-natural areas has also risen significantly. Despite a slight increase in burials, this has resulted in a noticeable change in income.

The demand for elective tree graves and urn graves has also increased significantly. Intensive maintenance is a prerequisite for these types of graves. For example, new plots are created, trees and shrubs are planted and alternating plants are planted three times a year for tree graves. Due to the increasing demand, the need for personnel is also increasing.

As planned, 75% of the costs incurred in the cemetery system are to be covered by the fee payers. The remaining 25 percent is provided by the general budget, as this proportion takes into account the recreational function of the cemetery as a green space for the entire population.

The total costs of the cemetery system can no longer be covered by the current income. The city administration is aware that this represents an additional burden for the relatives; however, due to the sharp rise in prices for energy, fuel, building materials, machinery and materials, an increase in fees is unavoidable. The increases now approved by Aachen City Council relate to all types of graves and the respective burial services and are between around ten and 20 percent compared to the previous costs.