Bluff reviews pared-down cemetery ordinance; staff targets mid-November for legal review and digital survey

At a Aug. 12 Bluff Town Council work session, staff and several council participants reviewed a draft cemetery ordinance intended to establish basic rules for plot sales, transfers, burial procedures, recordkeeping and a timetable for forming a cemetery board.

The draft ordinance was described by Anne Lefenham as intentionally narrow. “Most of the cemetery ordinances I looked at were much more than we actually need, and I tried to pare it down to, what an ordinance would look like to do the very basics,” Lefenham said, listing certificate-of-burial forms, transfer documents, burial opening/closing procedures and recording with the state and county recorder as the core elements.

Council members and staff flagged several practical issues: ownership and deed conveyances, an existing lack of recorded filings for burials, how the town will contract or approve contractors to open and close graves, and whether to permit camping, animals and cremation sections.

Why it matters: Bluff’s cemetery has had burials recorded informally, and the town currently lacks a complete survey, digital register and formal deed transfers from the Southwest Heritage Foundation, which still holds some parcel titles. Lefenham said the state cemetery division’s records show “nothing has been recorded on the hill at all,” and council discussion focused on how to bring the site into formal compliance.

Key points discussed

- Ownership and deed work: Lefenham said conveyances will be needed, including quitclaim deeds, and recommended coordinating with the county attorney and Southwest Heritage Foundation (staff contact Bill Davis) so deed transfers and surveys align with the digital inventory when it is completed.

- Digitalization and survey: Lefenham said the town needs to identify and hire a contractor to survey the property and digitize burial locations; that work should be complete before final conveyances are recorded. The ordinance and forms will then be reviewed by the town attorney (identified in discussion as Chris McAnany).

- Board creation and timeline: Lefenham proposed finalizing the ordinance, forms and the survey contractor before appointing a cemetery board. She set a personal target of mid-November to wrap up the ordinance review and digitalization steps. The council discussed advertising for board members after those steps are complete.

- Hours and access: Several participants recommended limiting hours to dawn-to-dusk rather than a fixed scheduled-hours regime. “I think things that we would need to enforce, we probably don't wanna do, and hours is one of those things,” said Linda Sosa.

- Opening/closing graves and contractors: The draft initially stated the town would be responsible for opening and closing graves; council members discussed instead requiring town approval of the opening and providing a list of recommended private contractors. Participants emphasized that the cemetery sexton or a designated town representative should be on site when graves are opened.

- Cremation lots and markers: The draft allows for separate cremation areas; attendees noted cremation niches or columbarium-style walls permit greater density than full burial plots. Council members urged more flexible deadlines for permanent markers — the draft’s 90-day requirement drew objections and some recommended allowing up to two years or acceptance of temporary mortuary markers. Concerns also surfaced about overly prescriptive rules on marker materials and plot “improvements.”

- Historic record gaps: Lefenham said nothing has been properly recorded with the state cemetery division or the county recorder for many existing burials and suggested the ordinance and survey should be used to remedy that over time rather than attempting an immediate retroactive clean-up of all past non‑filings.

Quotes from meeting participants

- Anne Lefenham (staff member): “I tried to pare it down to, what an ordinance would look like to do the very basics.” - Linda Sosa (role not specified in record): “I think things that we would need to enforce, we probably don't wanna do, and hours is one of those things.”

Next steps

Staff will send the draft ordinance and adopted forms to the town attorney for legal review. Lefenham said she will “light a fire under Chris” to get the review done and recommended the council finalize the ordinance and forms before appointing a cemetery board. The working target communicated in the meeting was mid-November to complete legal review, hire a firm for survey/digitalization and prepare an advertising packet for board appointments.

Less critical details

Participants noted local volunteer history: community members have historically assisted with grave openings and maintenance, and the town will need to decide whether to preserve volunteer roles, list preferred contractors, or include town fees for grave opening/closing in a new fee schedule. Several technical items in the draft (plot dimensions, language defining “plot improvements,” and limits on monument sizes for cremation lots) were marked for legal clarification by the town attorney.