Sec. 4.

(1) Subject to this section, to lessen the burden of government, each municipality with a municipally owned cemetery may establish and maintain an irrevocable endowment and perpetual care fund as a component fund within a community foundation by entering into an irrevocable agreement with the community foundation.

(2) The amounts deposited into the fund shall be held in perpetuity by the community foundation except that the community foundation shall annually authorize 2 distributions of interest and other earnings to the municipality for care and maintenance of the cemetery. The withdrawals shall be documented. The cemetery shall maintain records showing that earnings from the fund are used exclusively for endowment and for care and maintenance of the cemetery. The community foundation is not responsible for ascertaining that money paid to the municipality is expended for the limited purposes authorized in this subsection.

(3) Subject to the terms of the agreement, the fees and costs of the community foundation for services under this section and the agreement may be paid from the principal of the fund.

(4) The community foundation shall submit to the legislative body of the municipality an annual fund statement that includes all of the following information for the reporting period:

(a) Beginning and ending fund balances.

(b) Deposits to the fund, including interest and earnings from fund investments.

(c) Documentation of distributions from the fund under subsection (2).

(d) Documentation of any expenditures under subsection (3).

(5) As used in this section, "fund" means an endowment and perpetual care fund established under subsection (1).

History: Add. 2014, Act 422, Imd. Eff. Dec. 30, 2014