Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City council tables cemetery ordinance changes after concerns about bereavement impacts
Summary
Proposed amendments to cemetery regulations (Title 8, Chapter 11) — including moving winter-decor removal dates and temporarily prohibiting burials over the Memorial Day weekend — were discussed and sent back to staff after council members raised concerns about bereavement flexibility and potential costs to families.
The council reviewed proposed updates to Title 8, Chapter 11 (cemetery regulations) on Nov. 13, including formatting corrections, adjusting decoration removal dates (moving a removal window to March 1 to October 30), and a proposed restriction prohibiting burials in Rose Hill and Falling Memorial Cemeteries from 8 a.m. the Friday before Memorial Day until noon the Tuesday after Memorial Day.
Director Holmes described the operational reasons for the change — staff and the cemetery sexton recommended the window to ensure respectful, accessible visitation during a high‑traffic holiday. Holmes said the proposal arose from staff observations that burials and Memorial Day decorations sometimes create narrow lanes and impede elderly visitors: “...this is the absolute most disrespectful thing I've ever seen,” he said summarizing public feedback to staff (SEG 1059).
Several council members expressed concern that an ordinance prohibition would be overly rigid for grieving families, could increase mortuary charges for holding remains, and might be better handled as a department policy. One council member moved to table the ordinance and direct staff to consult further with sextons and stakeholders; the motion passed and staff will return with revised language and additional information.
Next steps: staff will continue consultation with cemetery sextons and legal before returning the item to council; the March 1 decoration date and other formatting fixes are not urgent and can be addressed during the winter months ahead of Memorial Day.
