Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cemetery Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council opens public hearing on rewritten cemetery ordinance; no public comments
Summary
Council opened a public hearing on a substantially revised cemetery ordinance (allowing upright headstones up to 36 inches, adding columbarium rules and sexton duties). No members of the public spoke; council raised questions on signage, a 12‑month permanent‑marker requirement, burial‑rights language and fee schedule alignment.
The Manti City Council opened a properly noticed public hearing on a rewritten cemetery ordinance and closed it without receiving public comment. The draft updates longtime practice into code, adds columbarium interment rules, and folds sexton responsibilities into the ordinance.
Mayor Mary summarized the draft, saying the rewrite "allow[s] for upright headstones up to 36 inches" and that the current code (dating to the 1970s–80s) did not reflect practice. Council members questioned several provisions: placement and signage for a 10 mph speed limit and a prohibition on animals; a draft requirement that a permanent grave marker be placed within 12 months of interment (several members said the word "must" may be too rigid given VA delays and other practical constraints); and ambiguous language about the number of burial plots an individual may purchase (the draft reads "2 or 3").
Council suggested softer language to allow case‑by‑case exceptions and asked staff to clarify definitions (for example, what qualifies as a "permanent" marker) and to align any administration fees with the city fee schedule. Staff said the draft borrows language used by other cemetery ordinances and will return with edits at a future meeting.
Council did not take final action; staff will revise the draft and prepare it for a future meeting once clarifications are made.
