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Planning commission recommends shifting grave‑decoration rules to cemetery sexton
Summary
The commission unanimously recommended that the City Council amend code to delegate time, place and manner rules for grave decorations from ordinance to administrative control by the cemetery sexton, allowing operational flexibility for cemeteries such as Western and Whites Fort.
The West Jordan Planning and Zoning Commission on Dec. 3, 2024 voted to forward a favorable recommendation to the City Council to amend city code so that rules governing grave decorations (time, place and manner) are not rigidly enumerated in ordinance but instead are set by the cemetery sexton responsible for cemetery operations.
Staff explained the change would remove detailed material‑by‑material restrictions from the municipal code and instead give the cemetery sexton authority to make administrable decisions about what decorations are permitted, for how long, and how they are maintained. The presenter said grave decoration practices have changed over time and that operational discretion would allow cemetery staff to respond to evolving practices and the specific needs of individual cemeteries such as Western and Whites Fort.
Commissioners asked procedural questions; no public commenters appeared at the public hearing. Commissioner Gonzales moved to forward a positive recommendation to the City Council; Commissioner Hollingsworth seconded and the commission approved the recommendation.
If the council adopts the amendment, enforcement and specific time/place/manner standards would be set in cemetery administration rather than the zoning code; staff said the sexton currently manages both Western and Whites Fort cemeteries and would be the responsible official under the proposed approach.
