Ritzville council approves cemetery ordinance, adjusts 110 Funds

The Ritzville City Council met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 4, as they continued to review the 2019 budget and voted on an ordinance that would make sweeping revisions to the chapter on the Ritzville Memorial Cemetery.

In a memo to the city’s Finance Committee and councilmembers, Clerk-Treasurer Julie Flyckt detailed items that have been added or changed within the 2019 budget since the most recent council meeting on Nov. 20. Two new funds have been added to the budget, the Tree Board Fund and the Sanitation Agency Fund.

According to Flyckt’s memo, the Tree Board Fund was added to the budget to “help assist the board in planning revenues and expenditures for their projects each year.” Included in the fund is the annual $500 grant from Tree City USA, and two transfers from other funds: $5,000 from the Current Expense Fund and $1,000 from the City Memorial and Enhancement Fund.

The Sanitation Agency Fund was added to the budget to “show the performance bond required as security for the faithful performance of the work including the payment of all persons providing equipment and performing labor, and all payments that may be due to the State of Washington arising from the performance of the contractor,” according to the memo. The city and Wheatland Waste Systems have a contract that is held at Columbia Bank, and state auditors required the city to establish a fund for this purpose.

Adjustments were also made to the 110 Fund awardees. The total award amount remained the same at $200,000, but there were some changes to how much each organization is set to be rewarded.

One of the notable changes to the proposed 110 Fund allocations from when they were first introduced at the Nov. 20 meeting include the Empire Motel not being awarded any of the $1,025 they requested for a freeway sign. That differs largely from Nov. 20, when they were slotted to receive all $1,025 that they requested. The motel was rewarded $850 in 2018, $1,025 in 2017 and $750 in 2016.

Another substantial change to the 110 Fund is the subtraction of $4,500 from the city’s request for 530 AM Highway Radio, and the addition of $4,000 (for a total of $44,000) and $2,400 (for a total of $30,400) to the city’s request for wayfinding signage and improvements to the golf course, respectively. At the Nov. 20 meeting, the city was slated to be awarded $113,475 in 110 Funds. After the changes made between that meeting and this meeting, the city is now set to be awarded $115,300.

Changes to the 110 Fund are not final, and Mayor Gary Cook noted at the previous council meeting that a definitive, set figure on how much each organization will receive is not required, but rather a total number that will be distributed.

A public hearing on proposed changes to Ordinance 2119, which relates to changes made to Chapter 10.04, the Ritzville Memorial Cemetery, was also held during the council meeting. Charles Jingling was the sole member of the public to make a comment during the public hearing, and asked if the proposed changes would affect the people who place lights or ornaments on lots.

Councilman Dennis Chamberlain said he believes the changes would give the Public Works Director—with the position currently being held by Larry Swift—the authority to “correct certain things if he deems them necessary.”

Councilman Scott Yaeger said ornaments would be prohibited under the new changes, but that it would ultimately be up to the Public Works Director and his staff on whether or not to decide if they want to remove them. Councilwoman Michelle Plumb added that if an article—such as an ornament—gets in the way of the maintenance staff doing its job, then it’s going to be addressed, but otherwise it is up to Public Works.

Following the public hearing, the council unanimously voted to approve the ordinance, which will significantly update Chapter 10.04

Some of the approved changes include making it unlawful to “plant any flower, vine, plant, shrub, bush or tree upon any grave or lot in the cemetery.” All artificial plants, flowers, decorations and containers can now be removed at the discretion of the Public Works Director.

Additionally, the changes prohibit the placing of “boxes, shells, toys, metal designs, ornaments, chairs, settees, vases, glass, wood or iron cases, fences, edging materials, shepherd’s hooks, trellises, solar lights or other similar articles” on lots, and allows the City to remove said articles. Glass of any kind is not allowed in the cemetery, including vases, ceramic statues, terracotta pots and decorations. It is also unlawful to curb or fence any lot in the cemetery.

The City also has the authority—as determined by the Public Works Director—to remove all “floral designs, flowers, weeds, trees, shrubs, plants or herbage of any kind” from the cemetery when they become “unsightly, dangerous, detrimental or diseased, or when they do not conform to the standards maintained.”

In regards to the sale of lots, the changes to Section 10.04.050 of the chapter clarify that lots are only to be sold for the burial of human remains or cremains. The City “shall sell single lots designed for one grave only and no lots or blocks designed for more than one grave shall be sold.” The City also reserves the right to refuse to consent to a transfer or to an assignment as long as there is any indebtedness due to the City from the recorded lot owner. “No work shall be done, nor interments made, on any lot on which unpaid bills have accrued.”

Other added language to this section says that purchased cemetery spaces can be transferred to other people by the purchaser, as long as the space in question isn’t currently being occupied. A Cemetery Lot Agreement needs to be signed by the purchaser in order to transfer any spaces, and in the event that the original purchaser is deceased, the next-of-kin will need to sign said agreement.

Section 10.04.080 is a new section to the chapter, which states that a burial permit needs to be filed in all cases of interment or inurnment at the cemetery. “A Cemetery Interment Authorization Agreement shall be signed with the City clerk. A burial shall only take place after a burial permit has been obtained and presented to the City or its designee(s) for approval, and with the Interment Authorization Agreement being signed and presented to the City clerk.”

The section also states that an advance notice of at least 48 hours needs to be given to the City when interments or inurnments are to be made, in order to give the City time to properly prepare the grave.

New construction standards are also added in this section, which requires a container to keep gravesites from caving in or collapsing on caskets. “All interments except cremations must be made in cement liner, cement vaults or steel vaults.” Additionally, no tombs can be erected on top of the ground, and all monuments would be set in a foundation which would be at ground level.

For every interment, the casket needs to be enclosed in a concrete box, concrete vault, steel vault, infant cement liner or infant casket or vault. Urns for direct burial need to be enclosed in a container designed for direct burial. Urns that are made of wood, ceramic or biodegradable materials need to be in an urn vault.

In regards to multiple interments and inurnments, the section states that there is a limit of one body per single lot with a “right to second interment,” meaning that there is a limit of two interments per single lot. Two full-casket burials in the same single lot would be prohibited, and if there is a second interment, there can be either one full casket and one cremated remains, or two sets of cremated remains. If a cremation burial occurs first, a full casket burial following the cremation burial is not permitted. The sprinkling of cremated human remains is also not allowed on cemetery grounds.

Newly proposed section 10.04.085 states that no marker, monument, headstone or other structures can be placed, moved or removed without prior approval of the City. All headstones have to be installed by the City or an approved designee, and a setting fee needs to be paid before the work is completed. The City will not allow the erection of any memorial unless lots are paid in full, and headstone installation needs to be performed during the period of May through October. An installation appointment also needs to be made with the City at least 72 hours prior to the installation.

Additionally, the section states that there is a limit of one headstone per single lot, except in the case of placement of a military veteran marker or a cremation marker. Headstones cannot be more than four feet wide (the width of a single lot) nor extended more than two feet into the length of a single lot.