Blufftown Council discusses creating Bluff Cemetery, seeks survey and ordinance; no formal vote

Council members discussed a multi-year effort to create and manage a defined Bluff Cemetery and agreed to continue work on a draft ordinance and surveys rather than taking immediate final action.

Council Chair Linda Sosa presented background that San Juan County had never completed a special service district for the cemetery. Sosa said the lieutenant governor’s office confirmed the prior special service district did not legally exist and that town staff had located bank records and other documents from a defunct cemetery board. She told the council she has drafted an ordinance and will send that draft to the town attorney, Chris McEnany, for legal review.

Sosa said the town received a $10,000 grant from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to digitize and organize cemetery records; the town match is $2,500 and the cemetery account contains about $4,500. She said grant funds can pay for a professional land survey to map plots and burials, and that an intern will assist with compiling state-submittable data. Sosa said she had met with county officials, county surveyors and representatives of the Hole in the Rock Foundation; Jed Lyman of Hole in the Rock told the council the foundation supports Bluff’s effort and expressed willingness to discuss handling burials located on foundation property.

Councilmembers raised questions about multiple property owners in the cemetery area, which parcels are included in the grant scope, and which burials had been surveyed previously. Councilmember Lou Anne Hook and others noted parts of the burial area appear to lie on property associated with Hole in the Rock or other private owners and said title and deed work will be needed. Sosa said some older memorials were previously surveyed and should match once a full survey is completed; she also reported a county official had indicated the county might convey its interest in a section of the cemetery to the Hole in the Rock Foundation for $1, which Sosa said warrants attorney review and possible bid discussion.

Sosa outlined next steps: finalize a draft cemetery ordinance, have legal review by Chris McEnany, prepare a short RFP for engineering/surveying services funded by the SHPO grant, and convene a community advisory committee to help set policy on governance (for example, whether a recorder/bookkeeper or a cemetery board treasurer will handle lot sales and funds). She said she planned to bring a draft ordinance to council for consideration in a future meeting and asked for volunteers and feedback on operational decisions.

Clarifying details discussed at the meeting included the SHPO grant amount ($10,000), the required local match ($2,500), and existing cemetery account funds ($4,500). Council members did not vote to create the cemetery or to accept property conveyances during the meeting; the council agreed to pursue legal review, a land survey and the SHPO-funded digitization project.