Council addresses cemetery cleanup, issuance of burial-right certificates

Council discussed complaints that grading and brush clearing last year deposited mud on headstones at the town cemetery and asked staff to follow up on an apparent unfinished work order. One council member said residents noted headstones were covered after grading and asked whether staff had cleaned them off; the Clerk replied that an original work order existed but may not have been completed and that she would look into it.

Staff also explained that the municipality issues burial-right certificates rather than deeds in compliance with state law. "The state law says all we could do is issue burial rights," the Clerk said, and she described an effort to catch up on certificates for lots purchased in the last year. Council members discussed whether a policy or resolution is needed to govern large purchases of lots by outside entities to avoid future legal or administrative problems.