Montgomery County commissioners on Aug. 11 approved rules and an internal policy to govern the county's four owned cemeteries — Lahunt, Poor Farm, Quaker and Highland — to standardize maintenance, monument work and on-site decorations.

County staff told commissioners there were no prior written policies governing county-owned cemetery care and that the lack of standards had produced recurring disputes between families and grounds crews. The draft resolution and companion policy set maintenance oversight, require monument work to be performed by approved monument companies or contractors, reaffirm the requirement for burial containers, and allow county crews to remove decorations or objects that obstruct mowing and maintenance.

The policy establishes that decorations placed for Memorial Day should be removed within 15 days (the policy cites guidance from the Kansas Association of Counties and local municipalities) so grounds crews can complete mowing. The document lists prohibited items — including glass containers, fences, borders and solar lights — when those items interfere with operations; staff said removal may occur without prior notice when items block maintenance access.

County staff also raised several operational clarifications for commissioner direction: whether to limit cremated remains in a single plot, who is responsible for ground settling and filling around vaults, and how fences and plot borders should be handled. Staff suggested allowing up to two cremains per plot and noted that unclaimed-body burials remain governed by a separate contract with Webb and Roderick.

Commissioner discussion addressed whether fences would remain in place, who would maintain fenced plots, and whether the county should remove fences that become eyesores or obstruct contract mowing. Staff said contractors are currently required to maintain entire cemetery grounds and that if a fenced plot prevents contractor access, county staff or the contractor would remove the fence to maintain the site.

The board approved the policy pending final legal revisions and instructed staff to incorporate clarifications discussed in the meeting, including an explicit allowance for two cremains per plot, a process for addressing ground settling, and guidance on fences and contractor access.

Why it matters: County-owned cemeteries are public assets that require routine maintenance. Clear rules aim to reduce conflicts between families and grounds crews, set expectations for monument work, and limit hazards to contractors and the public.

What’s next: Staff will incorporate legal counsel's final revisions and return a final version for signature; the board approved the policy subject to those edits.