City passes revised cemetery ordinance
By Mark Vierthaler
Dodge City Daily Globe
The Dodge City Commission hopes cemetery regulations at Maple Grove Cemetery are now a bit clearer.
The commission passed revised regulations 3-1, with Mayor Kent Smoll abstaining from the vote and Commissioner Terry Lee dissenting.
The new regulations specifically outline what constitutes temporary decorations, how long they are allowed to be on the stone and when it is allowed.
The revised regulations bar any permanent decoration on the grave site other than the monument and city-sanctioned flower holders. Permanently adhering any type of decoration to the memorials, monuments or grave site are also forbidden.
As for temporary decorations, the ordinances basically allows anything. Temporary decorations allowed include artificial flowers, wreaths, flags, figurines and hanging iron planters, as long as they are snug against the monument.
Only the dates when temporary decorations are allowed has changed. Decorations will be allowed Memorial Day, Veterans Day, date of birth, the anniversary of the date of passing and Dec. 1 to Jan. 1.
Natural and artificial flowers will be allowed year-round in pre-approved vases.
Lee, who expressed his distaste with the regulations in previous meetings, said he stood by his opposition.
"I heard from a few people the last week or so who were against it," he said. "I'm still very much opposed to it."
Commissioner Jim Sherer said the city wasn't attempting to tell people how to grieve, but rather attempting to make the mourning process equal for everyone.
"This is a very difficult issue to deal with," he said. "I feel our staff has put together a very positive recommendation."
Despite an increase in public discussion regarding the revisions, there were none in attendance who actively protested the changes.
The revised regulations put Dodge City on par with cemeteries in similar towns.
Garden City regulations for Valley View Cemetery and Sunset Memorial Gardens offer similar guidelines.
No permanent markers or plants are allowed on the grave site. The only temporary decorations are allowed on the monument itself. According to the Garden City ordinance, anything on the concrete base or on the grave site itself is removed by city workers.
The ordinance cites both ease of maintenance and respect for other mourners as reason for picking up decorations that do not meet requirements. Temporary decorations are allowed to remain on the grave for one week before removal.
Flowers are allowed year-round so long as they are placed in the monument vases.
Liberal's cemetery has some of the toughest regulations, with the ordinance banning boxes, shells, toys, metal designs, ornaments, chairs, benches, fences of any kind, any kind of object made of wood, banners or balloons.
Enforcement of Dodge City's revisions is expected to begin over the next several months.
Reach Mark Vierthaler at (620) 408-9932 or e-mail him at
mark.vierthaler@dodgeglobe.com.
Thanks Mark!
Now who is going to enforce this new ordinance? Will our PD now be patroling the cemetery? Or will some city employee sitting on a mower notice it and place a citation on my loved ones headstone? What are the penalties if someone is in violation? What if I am cited? What is the proposed penalty? Do I go to municipal court? Do I need to hire an attorney? Can I have a jury of my peers, if I plead not guilty?
If so, I want TEE in the jury box!!! LOL!