By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Mona City Council members reviewed
the proposed policies and procedures for the city
cemetery.
Council members earlier assigned
Lorna Squire, cemetery sexton, to formulate a policy for the
cemetery. The assignment was made when it was discovered
that there were no written regulations in a formal policy
governing practices at the community cemetery.
"In formulating these policies and
procedures, it has been our desire to offer as much freedom
of choice as possible while still preserving those
regulations necessary in maintaining a high standard of
beauty and efficiency," Squire wrote in the
policy.
One problem the council had
recently encountered, said Darlene Fowkes, council member,
was a recent request from one family who wanted to place a
cremated individual on top of the casket of a previously
buried relative.
It was discovered at that time that
Mona Cemetery had no rules or regulations either forbidding
nor permitting the practice. Council members agreed to allow
the double use of the plot by taking a vote.
"We discovered that we need to
require a grave opening and closing fee even when there is a
cremation," said Fowkes. "The family, in this instance,
agreed to do the work themselves but it was not the best
solution. In the future, we need to require a
fee."
From now on, cremations will be
treated as a regular burial including fees and services.
Cremations require a sealable urn made of plastic, metal, or
other like material approved by the cemetery
sexton.
If a family desires, a cremation
may be buried on top of an existing grave. Regular opening
and closing charges will still apply. Two or three
cremations may be placed in one grave spot. However, regular
opening and closing fees will still apply.
In cases of regular burials, not
more than one casket will be allowed per plot. Only one
interment will be allowed in a casket except for a mother or
father with a infant child or two children buried at the
same time.
Vaults are required of all burials
and must be made of concrete, steel, fiberglass or other
structurally sound materials. No wood shall be used as a
permanent part of the construction of any part of the
vault.
Burial spaces will continue to be
laid out in rows with the head of the grave to the west and
the foot to the east. Individual grave tracks usually
measure four feet wide by eleven agreed long, except on odd
sized lots. According to traditional burial custom, the wife
is placed to the left side of the husband. It is still a
matter of choice.
Only permissive burial rights are
sold and the city retains title to cemetery property. Only
four graves may be purchased by any one individual. However,
burial rights will be issued to each purchaser after fees
are paid in full.
Burial rights are conveyed to the
person named and their heirs.
In circumstances where it is
necessary to disinter or remove remains from the cemetery,
all applicable state laws must be complied with, fees paid,
and arrangements made with the sexton after consultation
with a funeral director.
It is prohibited to plant any
trees, shrubs, flower or digging or to disturb the sod
without prior permission of the sexton.
Flowers on new graves will be
removed after seven days. Special flower mementos should be
removed by family members at the conclusion of services.
Real and artificial flowers must be placed in a container or
attached to the monument. The only time baskets, boxes,
jars, cans, wire, or bottles will be permitted is during the
Memorial Day holiday.
Artificial flowers are not allowed
from April 1 to November 1 with the exception of national
holidays and decorations must be removed after seven days.
All real pieces will be removed without notice when they
become unsightly. All flowers not in permanent containers
will be removed during the first week of April and the
fourth week of October.
Headstones are considered personal
property. Therefore, all care and upkeep of the headstones
are the responsibility of the owner.
Perpetual care is collected and
kept in a special fund which may be used for the general
care, maintenance, and improvement of the cemetery. These
fees are included in the charges for burial rights and are
considered paid at the time of interment.
"Many communities have a perpetual
care fund and use the interest to maintain the cemetery,"
said Scott Nelson, town secretary/treasurer. "Some of the
balance is then used for improvements."
One improvement the money could be
used for, said Fowkes, was asphalt for roads. "That would be
an improvement and one which is needed."
County crews may be willing to
place roto-mill road surfacing at the site, said Mayor Bryce
Lynn. The material is road surface removed from freeways and
highways by a large machine, loaded onto dump trucks and
then used as a base for county projects.
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