City wants to regulate you some more...

[tat2me82]

Originally Posted by Army_of_One

If the city wants to regulate something they should regulate what color people paint their houses. The purple/pink and lime green/yellow house colors make me want to puke.

My son can now learn all the colors in the rainbow just by driving through town!! In some areas it looks like a bag of skittles just vommited all over the place.

[Detector]

Well it looks as though it passed.

What gripes my butt is the comment "Despite an increase in public discussion regarding the revisions, there were none in attendance who actively protested the changes." I'm guessing had people known this issue was up for discussion there would have been plenty of people there. But then thats probably what they wanted to avoid.

Why is it when an issue, that obviously the public has concerns with, come up at the city the public isn't aware until its over? Seems to me this was another issue that should have been put to a public vote. But of course the outcome would probably not have been to their liking.

[Quietly]

The Oct. 4 edition of the Globe carried a story about the grave decoration ordinance, which included the information that the commission would take action on the revised ordinance at the Oct. 15 meeting.

[Tee]

I guess we have to subscribe to the Globe to know when our commisioners intend to vote away our privileges.

There used to be a poster on the old board....Sentinel I think was their name...that would keep us apprised of all the 'goings on' down at city hall.

I wish we had them or someone like them that would do that for the Internet community, namely Dodgeboard.

[Detector]

Thanks Quietly. I looked over the article but must have missed it.

[Mike B.]

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!

[Tee]

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.

Spoken like a true liberal!

Guess what...we don't all greive equally, no matter how much the city would like to regulate us into doing so.

[Tee]

The reasons beihind this can be summed up in two sentences:

The revised regulations put Dodge City on par with cemeteries in similar towns

We must do what everyone else is doing.

and...

ease of maintenance

we must not be bothered to mow around any obstacles

[The Drifter]

Originally Posted by Tee

we must not be bothered to mow around any obstacles

let's say 100 people decide to put fences around their loved ones plot...can't get a mower in there so the groundsperson has to trim the whole thing or are those 100 families going to take care of it themselves. It's a touchy subject and as much as it sucks, there should be some guidelines.

[Flying Dutchman]

Exactly Drifter. There has to be guidelines and rules. In all actuality the rules are pretty leiniant (sic).