Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cemetery Regulations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission recommends updates to Kenai municipal cemetery regulations — marker limits, multi‑plot headstones and engraving standards approved
Summary
The Kenai Parks and Recreation Commission voted May 1 to recommend amendments to the Kenai Municipal Cemetery Regulations and Fee Schedule that align marker and headstone rules with current practice, including allowing up to three markers on standard plots and requiring durable inscriptions.
The Kenai Parks and Recreation Commission voted May 1 to recommend a set of housekeeping and substantive amendments to the Kenai Municipal Cemetery Regulations and Fee Schedule intended to align written rules with current field practice.
Deputy Clerk Megan Thibodeaux told the commission that a recent audit of cemetery records and on‑site photos revealed inconsistencies between the adopted regulations and what staff commonly encounters. The amendments are designed to codify those common practices and improve long‑term recordkeeping.
Key changes recommended by the commission include: allowing each interment to have at least one marker and permitting up to three markers on a standard plot (reflecting plots that commonly hold up to three burials); limiting upright headstones to one per standard plot while permitting up to two additional flat markers; allowing a single headstone to span multiple adjoining family plots; and a new durability requirement that inscriptions be "deeply engraved or raised in relief" so inscriptions remain legible over time.
Thibodeaux said the office's long‑term plan is to finish the records audit, identify unmarked or noncompliant plots and contact families to resolve outstanding issues. If staff cannot reach families, the office will consider other provisions to ensure the information is permanently recorded and legible.
Commissioners asked whether noncompliant painted inscriptions would be remediated; staff said remediation is part of a multi‑year plan tied to the audit and outreach. The amendment also standardizes terminology across the regulation (using "internment locations" or "internment plots" in place of mixed terms such as "grave" or "burial site").
The commission recommended the amendments to the cemetery regulations and fee schedule by unanimous consent; staff said the final version will be forwarded to city council for adoption as required by code.
