Council discusses cemetery fees, urn interment options and possible designated urn section

Bryce Canyon City Council discussed cemetery fees and handling of cremated remains during the meeting, including whether the town should create a designated area for urn interments and how to price and manage those spaces.

Council and staff reviewed examples from other communities (one town was cited as having a city-owned section for unclaimed ashes) and discussed local practices for burying urns at shallower depths to permit later disinterment if families reclaim remains. Participants described the possibility of redesigning a cemetery section for smaller urn interments using stainless-steel cylinders or vaults and suggested a separate fee schedule for urn plots. No formal policy change or fee schedule was adopted at the meeting; council members asked staff to research local examples and report back with paperwork or sample regulations from nearby towns.

Participants discussed that a resident plot fee example mentioned in the meeting was $3.50 (context suggests this figure is a part of a local fee schedule but attendees also said other towns charge different amounts), and that infant and other categories have different fees. Members suggested a practical approach of designating a small section for urns to allow reuse of plots and simpler, shallower burial depth for urns (a shovel burial rather than full casket-depth excavation) to reduce cost. The council asked staff to contact neighboring towns for any available documents on their urn rules and to return with draft language for a possible city policy.