Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council asks staff to engage Montgomery County about ownership options for historic Dilley Cemetery
Summary
After residents raised concerns about unmaintained graves at the Dilley Cemetery, council voted to ask city staff and legal counsel to contact Montgomery County about possible donation of the site or pursuing a tax-lien foreclosure pathway to transfer ownership to the city for preservation.
Residents and council members pushed Riverside leaders July 20 to take steps toward securing the Dilley Cemetery after volunteers reported unmarked graves and unclear ownership.
At public comment, a resident described gravesites that appear to be from the community’s earliest settlers and said volunteers cannot sustain long-term upkeep. Council members reported finding a last-known deed from 1847 and said county records indicate the parcel may be tax-lien eligible. Based on that research, a council member moved that the city ask staff to engage Montgomery County to determine whether the county would donate the parcel to Riverside or pursue a tax-lien foreclosure to transfer title to the city.
The motion passed by voice vote. The law director advised that because Dilley Cemetery appears to be private property with a long, unclear title chain, the city cannot unilaterally perform official maintenance at present; however, he said the city could legally request county action or pursue tax-lien pathways and that a coalition of private citizens could perform preservation work without placing the city at legal risk.
City staff and the law director will contact county officials to assess whether a donation or tax-lien action is feasible and report back to council on possible next steps.
