AGENDA #4f

MEMORANDUM

 

TO:                  Mayor and Town Council

 

FROM:            W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

 

SUBJECT:       Amendments to the Cemetery Code

 

DATE:             March 24, 2003

 

Enactment of the attached ordinance would amend the Town Code, Section 6-2, regarding graves in Town cemeteries.  The proposed amendments would codify our current practices involving multiple burials per grave and required depth of graves.

 

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

 

The Town Code currently does not specify acceptable usage of graves with regard to multiple burials per grave site.  It is and has been our practice to:

a)                            Allow interment of two burial vaults on top of each other in a single grave space, provided the grave is excavated to a depth adequate to provide a minimum of 18 inches of cover above the uppermost vault; and

b)                           Allow an unrestricted number of cremation urns to be buried in a single grave space.

 

Recently, we have received several requests to provide a written verification of the above practices.  We are proposing the following additions to Section 6-2 of the Town Code in order to formalize and codify our current practices:

 

1) Multiple burials in a single grave shall be limited to one of the following:

a)      the interment of two burial vaults;

b)      the interment of one burial vault and one cremation urn; or

c)      the interment of no more than four cremation urns.

 

2) All burial vaults and cremation urns must be at least 18 inches below ground level.

 

We think that these practices would reasonably accommodate the needs and desires of our cemetery clients, would comply with State law, and would be similar to practices currently in effect in the other communities in North Carolina.

 

MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION

 

The Manager recommends enactment of the attached Ordinance that would codify multiple use restrictions and depths of graves in Town cemeteries.

 

 

AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 6 OF THE TOWN CODE OF ORDINANCES REGARDING CEMETERIES (2003-03-24/O-3)

BE IT ORDAINED by the Council of the Town of Chapel Hill as follows:

Section 1.  Section 6-2 of the Town Code of Ordinances, “Required depth of graves; opening and closing graves.” is hereby revised to read as follows:

“Required depth of graves; opening and closing graves.

No grave shall be opened to a depth of less than five (5) feet to the bottom thereof.  Graves shall be opened and closed only by the funeral director in charge of interment and subject to supervision by the town manager but at no cost to the town”.

 “Multiple burials in graves; required depth of graves; opening and closing graves.

1) Multiple burials in a single grave shall be limited to one of the following: a) the interment of two burial vaults; or b) the interment of one burial vault and one cremation urn; or c) the interment of no more than four cremation urns.

 

2) No grave shall be opened to a depth of less than five (5) feet to the bottom thereof.  All burial vaults and cremation urns shall be at least eighteen (18”) below the ground level. Graves shall be opened and closed only under the direction of the funeral director in charge of the interment, subject to supervision by the Town Manager, and at no cost to the Town”

 

Section 2. This ordinance shall become effective March 24, 2003.

This the 24^th day of March, 2003.