Joint Special Council/BFPD
09/16/25 05:15 PM
City Clerk / Records
Maribel Hernandez
Proclamation
Doc ID: 6137
AGENDA ITEM
AGENDA MATTER:
APPROVAL OF PROCLAMATION IN SUPPORT OF THE BARSTOW CEMETERY, CALLING ON
FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL OFFICIALS TO SUPPORT RESTORATION AND ASSISTANCE
EFFORTS, AND DIRECTING STAFF TO STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF CITY ASSISTANCE FOR THE BARSTOW CEMETERY.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
The proposed Proclamation in Support of the Barstow Cemetery would, considering the Cemetery’s financial distress, call upon San Bernardino County to support the Cemetery financially; entreats federal, state, and local officials to support restoring the Cemetery and protecting it for the City’s future; and commits the City to analyze the feasibility of assisting the Cemetery.
DISCUSSION:
The Cemetery has a history of financial instability, as documented by a January 2024 Special Study by the LAFCO for San Bernardino County. The Special Study specifically noted challenges such as high turnover rates, the lack of internal controls or a Master Plan, and a lack of government experience. The Special Study did not attribute these problems to any single person, but an accumulation of challenges over time that undermined the financial stability of the Cemetery.
Despite these challenges, the Cemetery has deep ties to the City. For many residents and community members, the Cemetery is our local and their family history, to be honored and remembered for the people who rest there and who contributed to the history of Barstow.
These ties make the preservation and restoration of the Cemetery an important project for the health and wellbeing of the community. Because of this significance, the Proclamation requests assistance from San Bernardino County to join the effort to support, maintain, and protect the Cemetery. In addition, due to the number of veterans and pioneers resting in the Cemetery, the Proclamation entreats the assistance of President Trump and other federal, state, and local leaders in assisting with the protection, restoration, and maintenance of the Cemetery.
Paired with this Proclamation, City staff have already met with the Cemetery’s General Manager to understand the Cemetery’s immediate and long-term needs and are discussing pathways by which the City could provide immediate support for the landscaping project. As directed by the City Council on September 2, 2025, City staff have also begun analyzing the feasibility and options for long-term City support for the Cemetery District, including support for the Cemetery District as an independent entity and the potential of the City assuming control. Both immediate and long-term support options will need future City approvals and will return to the City Council for direction.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Joint Special Council/BFPD
09/16/25 05:15 PM
City Clerk / Records
Maribel Hernandez
Proclamation
Doc ID: 6137
AGENDA ITEM
This is no fiscal impact to adopting the Proclamation and calling on federal, state, and local agencies to support the Cemetery. Potential future fiscal impacts of City direct support for the Cemetery are unknown at this time, and will be analyzed as the options return to the City Council for assessment and direction.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the Proclamation in support of the Cemetery.