Public works asks council to decide which city-owned properties, including cemeteries, the city should maintain

Brandon Bridal, Lewisburg's public works director, told the council the department currently maintains nine cemeteries but the city sells plots from only two (Lone Oak and Cook). Bridal said it is increasingly difficult for public-works crews to keep up with all sites and asked the council whether the city should continue routine maintenance on the cemeteries that it does not own.

Council members and staff discussed ownership records. Bridal and others said courthouse deed research shows only Lone Oak and Cook Cemetery in the city's name; other cemeteries include Boyette Cemetery, Beechwood and Cedar Grove. Council members suggested funeral homes, churches or existing cemetery organizations may have information on internal governance or dues collected to fund maintenance.

Council members raised practical concerns about stopping maintenance: some parcels adjoin parks or are used informally for municipal needs such as overflow parking near the police department. One council member noted that prior arrangements for mowing often rested on handshake agreements rather than written memoranda. "We need to get something in writing because that's where we're where we are right now," a council member said.

City attorney Huddle was asked to advise on the legality of using taxpayer dollars to maintain privately owned property; council members asked staff to compile a definitive list of cemetery locations, ownership records (deeds) and any known associations or dues arrangements. Bridal said the department's priority would remain Lone Oak and Cook if the council chooses to scale back maintenance of other sites.

No council decision to end maintenance was taken at the work session. The council directed staff to research each cemetery's ownership and associated organizations, to contact funeral homes and churches for records or contacts, and to return with recommendations and legal guidance at a future meeting.