New Mexico Statutes 58-17-4. Gifts and contributions; care funds; trust funds
A. A cemetery authority is authorized and empowered to accept care funds and hold them in trust in perpetuity for the care of its cemetery; for the care of any lot, grave, crypt or niche in its cemetery; for the special care of any lot, grave, crypt or niche in its cemetery; or for the special care of any lot, grave, crypt or niche or of any family mausoleum or memorial, marker or monument in its cemetery. Creation of care funds shall not be invalid by reason of any indefiniteness or uncertainty as to the beneficiary designated in the instrument creating the funds. If care funds accepted by a cemetery authority include nonincome producing property, the authority may sell that property and invest the funds obtained in accordance with the provisions of this section.
Terms Used In New Mexico Statutes 58-17-4
- Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
- Bequest: Property gifted by will.
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Devise: To gift property by will.
- Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
B. In acquiring, investing, reinvesting, exchanging, retaining, selling and managing care funds, the cemetery authority or trustee of the funds shall exercise the judgment and care under the circumstances then prevailing that men of prudence, discretion and intelligence exercise in the management of their own affairs, not in regard to speculation but in regard to the permanent disposition of their funds, considering the probable income as well as the probable safety of their capital. Within the limitations of this standard, the cemetery authority or the trustee of the care funds is authorized to acquire and retain every kind of property and every kind of investment that men of prudence, discretion and intelligence acquire or retain for their own account. Within the limitations of this standard, the cemetery authority or trustee is authorized to retain property properly acquired, without limitation as to time and without regard as to the suitability for original purpose.
C. Care funds may be commingled with other trust funds received by the cemetery authority for the care of its cemetery or for the care or special care of any lot, grave, crypt, niche, marker or monument in its cemetery, whether received by gift, grant, devise, bequest, contribution, payment, contract or other conveyance made to the cemetery authority. The net income only from the investment of the care funds shall be allocated and used for the purposes specified in the transaction by which the principal was established in the proportion that each contribution bears to the entire sum invested.
D. With the prior written approval of the director, care funds may be commingled with trust funds of other cemetery authorities received by those authorities pursuant to this section. Net income only from the investment of those care funds shall be allocated to each cemetery authority and used for the purposes specified in the transaction by which the principal was established in the proportion that each authority’s contribution bears to the entire sum invested.