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Toomey for Health crematory petition deferred after state licensing info shared
Summary
The board deferred action on a Toomey for Health LLC petition to allow a crematory; the petitioner requested the deferment and an industry representative clarified state licensing requirements for crematories and funeral homes.
The Town of Merrillville Board of Zoning Appeals deferred consideration of petition Z4U1-0225 from Toomey for Health LLC, which proposes a crematory use, after the petitioner’s attorney requested more time and an industry representative provided licensing information.
Attorney Alex Kudanovsky told the board the owner and principal could not attend the hearing and asked the board to defer the item to the next meeting so the petitioner could appear in person. The board granted the deferral on a roll-call vote recorded as four ayes, zero opposed.
During the public portion, Andy Clayton, executive director of the Indiana Funeral Directors Association and a former chairman of the State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service, spoke neither for nor against the petition but told the board that “the state does register crematories through the State Board of Funeral and Cemetery Service, and that if the crematory intends to offer their services directly to the public, they must be a licensed funeral home to do so.” The board acknowledged Clayton’s statement and indicated staff will carry that information into future consideration of the petition.
The petitioner indicated some members of the public had signed in to speak and offered to meet with them outside the hearing; the board opened the record for public comment but took no substantive action other than to defer the petition to the next meeting.
