KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- KTVO received an email from a viewer who said they had been told to remove some items from their loved-one’s grave stone at Forest-Llewellyn Cemetery.
Kirksville City Manager Mari Macomber said the cemetery has always had rules, just not always the ability to enforce them.
Macomber said plaques, statues and other items are ok to have at the gravesite as long as they are on the headstone.
She said it was becoming a problem when people were placing items past the headstone.
“Bottom line for the cemetery is we want to pay respect and show the community that we feel Forest-Llewellyn Cemetery is as important a public facility as any other,” Macomber said. “And, our ability to maintain that really lies within our rules and regulations that we have at the cemetery. And, the rules that are in place are really no different than any other cemetery.”
Macomber said a major reason for enforcing these rules is upkeep. She said they have to be able to mow, and with gravesites that have different items around the marker and beyond, it is hard to maintain that.
She said the council will be talking to a “Friends of Forest-Llewellyn Committee” about maybe implementing a policy where someone could memorialize their loved one in some fashion with a bench and a plaque.
Macomber said the rules are online, and the city clerk also has rules and regulations, and she provides that information when the individuals buys the cemetery plots.
To find a link to the ordinance click HERE.
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