Council directs staff to draft cemetery ordinance amendments after debate over benches and decorations

Llano City Council instructed staff to prepare a draft ordinance amending the municipal code chapter governing cemeteries and to return with a public engagement plan. Staff presented a redlined draft in the council packet and asked for direction to bring the ordinance back for formal consideration.

The discussion centered on how to balance maintenance needs with residents’ attachment to decorations and monuments. Council members asked for clear public notice before any cleanup, with several suggesting twice-yearly maintenance windows (February and September) and at least six months’ notice during initial implementation. One council member said, “Clarity is kindness,” urging specific rules about what may remain on headstones versus what cannot remain on the ground.

Staff (Finley) said the redline would grandfather existing permanent benches and other permanent items placed as of the ordinance date but recommended removal of unsightly or hazardous items and a communications strategy that uses signage, mailings, newspaper notices and outreach to funeral homes. Council members expressed differing views about the grandfathering period and enforcement timeline; some favored a shorter compliance window to reduce mowing hazards, others suggested more time to allow families to act.

A councilmember moved, and the motion was seconded, that staff prepare the ordinance and return with an engagement plan; the motion carried. Staff will return a drafted ordinance and recommended notice/enforcement timeline at a future meeting.

The council did not set final time limits or fines during the meeting; those details were to be resolved in the drafted ordinance. The next procedural step is for staff to present the ordinance and recommended engagement materials for council review and possible adoption.