1. City of Charlotte Cemetery Section: An Operations Analysis
Gerald G. Fox Master of Public Administration Program
Presented By:
Gerald G. Fox Master of Public Administration Program
Fall 2015

2. City of Charlotte Cemetery Section: An Operations Analysis
Gerald G. Fox Master of Public Administration Program
Executive Summary
Overview
The students of the Gerald G. Fox Master of Public Administration (MPA) program at the
University of North Carolina at Charlotte were asked to assist the City of Charlotte’s Cemetery
Section, a component of the Landscape Management Division within the Engineering and
Property Management Department, in evaluating their current operations and business practices.
The City of Charlotte manages four historic and three active public cemeteries with fiscal year
2015 expenses totaling approximately $798,000. The Cemetery Section oversees all operations
of these cemeteries, including plot sales, the opening and closing of graves, landscaping
maintenance, and general upkeep.
To evaluate Charlotte’s cemetery operations, the MPA team developed a methodology to assess
the current operations and business practices of municipally owned cemeteries, researched
national burial trends, and identified best practices from which to build recommendations. From
these data, the MPA team created 15 recommendations to enhance current City cemetery
operations.
Methods
To establish best practices and generate recommendations for the improvement of Charlotte
cemetery operations, the MPA team used the following data collection methods:
1. Conducted a literature review of trends and best practices in public cemetery
management
2. Researched relevant state and local laws, ordinances, and policies as they pertain to the
project
3. E-mailed questionnaires to similar municipalities in 23 jurisdictions
4. Followed-up with 16 benchmark jurisdictions via phone interviews
5. Interviewed two City Council members and the Deputy City Manager
6. Received technical assistance from City staff
Using these six methods of data collection, the MPA team was able to develop a comprehensive
overview of the current approaches to municipal cemetery management.

3. City of Charlotte Cemetery Section: An Operations Analysis
Gerald G. Fox Master of Public Administration Program
Findings and Recommendations
The findings and recommendations were organized by topic within four overarching categories:
operations, indigent and unclaimed burial practices, community involvement, and
marketing. Within these categories, the MPA team identified 15 specific recommendations
based upon its analysis, which are outlined in Table 1.
Each of the recommendations was formed based upon best practices in cemetery operations.
Adopting these practices would benefit the City by maximizing the amount of usable burial
space, ensuring that fees are on par with industry standards, and creating community support for
City cemeteries.
Table 1- Recommendations
1 Evaluate schedule of fees annually
2 Increase fee associated with the perpetual care fund
3 Consider selling customizable products
4 Be aware of the rising trend in green burials
5 Explore installation of a cremation garden
6 Create a land use plan for plot development
7 Examine GIS mapping implementation project
8 Conduct periodic cost analysis of contracting services
9 Evaluate local policy for unclaimed remains
10 Cremate unclaimed remains
11 Set criteria for determining indigent burial status
12 Appoint a citizen’s advisory group
13 Regularly host tours and events in the cemeteries
14 Update website to create stronger web presence
15 Market pre-need plot sales to residents
The City currently follows many of the best practices identified within the national trends
research and interviews with benchmark cities. However, the MPA team found that Charlotte
does have untapped potential that could yield enhanced revenues and operational improvements.
Municipally owned cemeteries across the United States have adopted a variety of business
practices to suit their individual needs, but there are areas of consistent overlap. The MPA team’s
recommendations highlight best practices that would be a good fit for Charlotte’s Cemetery
Section.

4. City of Charlotte Cemetery Section: An Operations Analysis
Gerald G. Fox Master of Public Administration Program
Gerald G. Fox Master of Public Administration Program
at UNC Charlotte
Dr. James W. Douglas, Professor
Douglas Bean, Professor
Michele Arias
Samuel Ascunce
Alyssa Brown
Brittany Bumgarner
McKenna Collins
Gary Cooley
Ablavi Dossou
Bridget Hayes
Vanna Kealy
Jennifer Melia
Tonderai Mushipe
Tracy Martin Nash
Jonathan Peebles
Hannah Sanborn