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Bluff Town Council adopts cemetery ordinance, approves several administrative policies
Summary
The Bluff Town Council voted to adopt a Bluff Cemetery ordinance and approved multiple administrative items — donation and art-display policies, year-end bonuses and routine bills — while deferring large changes to community center fee waivers until staff provides more data.
Bluff — The Bluff Town Council adopted a new Bluff Cemetery ordinance and approved a package of administrative items during its Dec. 2 regular meeting at the Bluff Community Center.
Anne reported that attorneys from the county and town are finalizing an inter‑stakeholder agreement and survey to resolve deeds and easements on Cemetery Hill. "If we passed off our cemetery ordinance, we can start advertising for a cemetery board," Anne said, urging passage. The council moved, seconded and approved the ordinance; council members declared the vote unanimous. The ordinance number was discussed in the meeting as "O 2 12" (spoken format: "2025 02 12").
Why it matters: The ordinance and the inter‑stakeholder agreement are intended to clarify ownership, access and maintenance responsibilities on Cemetery Hill and allow the town to establish a cemetery board and finalize easements.
Other approvals: The council also: - Adopted a revised donation policy raising the threshold for written donation agreements to $250 to align with IRS documentation rules. "I have updated the requirement for a donation agreement to $250 per IRS requiring written documentation for donations at and above 250," staff noted before the vote. - Approved an amended art display policy clarifying installation/removal expectations and offering a free half‑day rental for gallery openings to encourage local exhibitions. - Authorized year‑end $50 bonuses for commissioners and staff, to be paid as previously practiced. - Authorized payment of accounts payable with staff follow‑up on two flagged invoices (a propane tank‑rental question and an unusually high Galaxy IT automated charge).
What the council did not finalize: Council members discussed but did not resolve broad changes to the Bluff Community Center fee or waiver structure; they asked staff to provide more detailed cost and usage breakdowns and recommended folding any rate changes into the town's master fee schedule process and public hearing schedule.
Next steps: Staff will continue work on the cemetery easement agreement and survey, pursue additional detail on the community center financials for a future meeting and follow up on the flagged invoices before finalizing payments. The council also ratified two time‑sensitive letters: a letter of support for Bears Ears Partnership (one councilmember abstained because of employment ties) and a six‑month funding extension request to the governor's Office of Economic Opportunity.
Votes at a glance: - Adopt Bluff Cemetery ordinance ("O 2 12" as spoken) — passed (voice vote, unanimous). - Accept modified donation policy (threshold $250) — passed (voice vote, unanimous). - Accept modified Art Veil/art display policy — passed (voice vote, unanimous). - Approve $50 bonuses for staff and commissioners — passed (voice vote, unanimous). - Pay bills with staff follow‑up on two invoices — passed (voice vote, unanimous). - Letter of support to Bears Ears Partnership — passed; one abstention recorded (councilmember stated employment with Bears Ears Partnership).
