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Residents seek apology after cemetery flowers removed; council to draft policy
Summary
A resident said maintenance staff removed flowers from headstone vases at Afton Cemetery; the council apologized on behalf of the Town, agreed to draft a written flower-and-decoration policy, and will place a newspaper apology while researching a cemetery district.
Valerie Haderlie told the Afton Town Council on July 12 that maintenance staff had removed flowers from attached vases on several headstones at the Afton Cemetery, and she asked the council to adopt a written policy, consider allowing shepherd hooks, and publish a written apology in the newspaper.
Mayor Joel Neuenschwander apologized on behalf of the Town and the council directed staff to draft a cemetery flower-and-decoration policy and to consider allowing shepherd hooks when they are contained within the base of the headstone. Councilmembers also said the Town will research the possibility of forming a cemetery district and will continue to solicit public feedback on the proposed policy before taking further action.
The council instructed staff to place the apology in the local newspaper and to disregard other items that had been removed from headstones. No formal ordinance or immediate policy change was adopted at the meeting; the item will return for further consideration once staff compiles recommendations and public feedback.
