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Bluff proposes cemetery ordinance to create cemetery board and sexton position
Summary
Draft ordinance would create a Bluff Cemetery Board and a sexton role, enable fee collection and seek transfer of a recently used burial area from San Juan County; staff said survey and GPR work are underway and the county is supportive of transfer paperwork.
Town staff presented a draft cemetery ordinance that would create a Bluff Cemetery Board and a sexton position to manage operations and collect fees for burial services. Erin Nelson said the ordinance focuses on a more recent burial area in the northwest portion of Bluff — described in the draft as approximately a 112‑by‑8‑foot plot that already contains sold plots and that the Bluff Cemetery Board has most often worked with.
Staff emphasized the ordinance would establish basic operating procedures (hours, grave size, internal conveyance and aesthetics) and is intended as the structural foundation for the board; additional rules and policies would be developed by the board over time. The town is pursuing survey and ground‑penetrating radar (GPR) work to confirm boundaries and to evaluate potential expansion to the west. Staff also said San Juan County supports transferring the relevant parcel but that formal paperwork and resolutions are required to complete any transfer.
At the hearing, Josh Ewing, identifying himself as incoming mayor, thanked staff for the amount of work that went into the ordinance and suggested the town consider informal public open houses to help residents review lengthy ordinance packages before adoption. No formal adoption occurred at the Oct. 28 hearing; the council invited written comments through Nov. 7, 2025.
