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Paducah staff propose clarifying Oak Grove Cemetery rules, fees and monument foundation options
Summary
City staff presented proposed edits to Oak Grove Cemetery ordinance, fee schedule and administrative policy to remove conflicting language, clarify late-service fees (2 p.m. threshold), add a graveside burial service fee, permit pier foundations for monuments, formalize staffing/operating hours and set a seasonal cleanup cadence.
City cemetery staff outlined proposed clarifications and small policy changes for Oak Grove Cemetery at the Feb. 11 Paducah Board of Commissioners meeting, saying three documents (ordinance, municipal order fee schedule and an administrative policy) contain inconsistent language that should be aligned.
Staff identified several targeted changes: harmonize the late-service fee cut-off time (the ordinance previously said funerals concluding after 2 p.m., the fee schedule said after 3 p.m.; staff recommended 2 p.m. to match operations and avoid overtime); add a fee for staffed graveside burials (staff said graveside burials were being staffed beginning late 2023 after misplacements occurred); clarify that 30% of cemetery fees go into a project/perpetual-care fund but that the fund is used for capital projects rather than day-to-day mowing; require 72 hours’ notice from funeral homes for services (and add a fee for insufficient notice); permit pier (saddle) monument foundations as a lower-cost alternative to full concrete pads (staff described it as a cost-saving option that uses piers rather than a full below-frost-line slab); and clarify operating hours and holiday closures (the cemetery is open to the public “8 a.m. to dark,” but staffed funerals are scheduled 8 a.m.–2 p.m.; staff recommended stating those distinctions more clearly).
Staff said seasonal cleanup of prohibited or dilapidated decorations now occurs on roughly a 10-day rotation, and recommended the administrative policy and public-facing flyer be updated to reflect the enforcement cadence. Cemetery staff also recommended allowing “saddle” monument decorations (clips on headstones) as an option in addition to shepherd’s hooks, subject to removal if they are broken or create operational hazards.
Commissioners asked for additional operational cost detail (total annual mowing/maintenance costs and the current balance and typical annual inflows to the cemetery fund) and requested city staff produce a concise public flyer summarizing the changes for funeral homes and families. Staff said they will present the ordinance language revisions for first reading at a subsequent meeting after incorporating feedback.
Amy (City staff) said the changes are intended to remove contradictory language and make the public-facing guidance clear. “The time is based on our operations. Our staff clock out at 3, and so the funeral services that end at 2 allow our staff to get things wrapped up and get out by the end of their shift,” she told commissioners when explaining the proposed 2 p.m. late-service threshold.
