Parks board praises department as cemetery interments move in-house, approves letters of support

The Austin Parks and Recreation Board unanimously approved letters of support on Nov. 24 recognizing the departments recent transition to in-house interment and burial services.

Jason Walker, division manager of Cemetery Operations, told the board the city resumed full responsibility for interments and cremains burials across municipal cemeteries on Sept. 25, 2025 after a contractor ended its contract early. Walker said the department built internal capacity through a training model, updated standard operating procedures and strengthened industry partnerships with funeral homes and monument companies.

"We're here to help people, through a lot of times, just possibly the worst times of their lives," Walker said, summarizing the departments mission and the rationale for bringing interment services into city management.

Board member Eubanks pressed for details about historical documentation of unmarked graves at Oakwood Cemetery. Walker said the department maintains a history programs unit based at Oakwood Chapel and is actively documenting unmarked graves in Section 4 using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and other methods to locate and mark burials.

The chair read a letter dated Nov. 24 that praised Cemetery Operations stewardship of seven municipal cemeteries, more than 200 acres and about 80,000 burials; the letter noted the transition represents more than a decade of rebuilding internal capacity after years of contracted operations.

Chair Bazan moved to approve the letters of support; the motion was seconded and the board voted unanimously to approve them.

The letters are advisory recognition from the board; no ordinance or budget action was taken. The board did not schedule further formal action on cemetery policy during the meeting.