The water at all town cemeteries won't be turned on until July 1, the start of the new fiscal year, according to Town Administrator Derek Sullivan.

On Tuesday night, Sullivan explained that there simply isn't enough money in the town coffers to water the grass.

"We understand that is has been disappointing for those who have loved ones in the town cemeteries," Sullivan said. "Our goal is always to honor and respect those who have been interred at the town cemeteries."

He said that although there is $338,641 in the perpetual care trust fund, the town cannot spend those funds. The town can only spend the interest earned on those funds, which amounts to $507.96.

Sullivan said the town would have $507 to fund, "the mowing, raking, mulching, snow plowing, fuel, machine maintenance and water bills, to name a few, for all of the town cemeteries."

Since the perpetual care fund cannot support these efforts, the municipal maintenance budget subsidizes the cemeteries.

"That is why the vandalism of stealing brass spigots and vandalism of purposefully leaving the water running and costing thousands of dollars in water bills is something we simply cannot absorb," Sullivan said.

He said the town is exploring options such as automatic shut-offs to prevent this in the future.

"I hope that everyone can understand that this is a temporary setback and that we don't run into this issue again," Sullivan said.

It wasn't all bad news, however, during Sullivan's report.

He said the town received $108,000 from the state for line painting, which will begin Monday, June 15 and run through Friday, June 19. Sullivan said most crosswalks will be repainted as well.

He said this is being paid for by the one-time funds released by Gov. Charlie Baker to help cities and towns with road maintenance following the disastrous winter through the state.

Sullivan also said that the parking kiosks brought in $11,423 for the month of May. This is a sharp increase compared to the $219 brought in last May, as the program started last year on May 31. This year's program began May 1.

Sullivan said the increased revenue will help offset the anticipated decrease in revenue from the Shell Point parking lot, since the town beach/dump sticker allows residents to park for free in that lot.