Those tracts of land lying within the limits of the city and set apart for burial purposes and divided into portions, blocks, lots and places for interment and more minutely described upon maps on file in the office of the city secretary, together with all additions hereafter made thereto, shall be and the same are hereby designated as the “La Grange City Cemetery.” Such tracts shall be under superintendence of the city manager, who shall be in charge of the enforcement of the ordinances, rules and regulations of the city and the improvement and maintenance of the cemeteries.
(Ordinance 19-22, sec. 1, adopted 11/25/19)
It shall be unlawful for any person to disinter or remove any vault or any dead body, or any of the articles belonging thereto, from the city cemetery, except upon the written consent of the nearest relative of the deceased and the written order of the city manager.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-2)
(a) 
The city secretary shall keep in his/her office a cemetery book of record and a map of the cemeteries, each showing the amount of the portions, number of the block, lots and parts of lots and places for interments and by whom owned or occupied, and whenever any right of interment in any block, part of block, lot, part of lot or place of interments shall be sold to any person, the city secretary shall, upon receipt of payment of the money for such burial right, enter such on the book of record and shall make the same on the map.
(b) 
Interments allows in a single place or grave shall be [sic]:
(1) 
One (1) person’s bodily remains;
(2) 
Two (2) persons’ bodily remains, stacked one on top of the other only if lower coffin is equipped with a concrete liner;
(3) 
One (1) person’s bodily remains and one (1) person’s cremated remains; or
(4) 
Three (3) persons’ cremated remains.
(Ordinance 19-22, sec. 2, adopted 11/25/19)
The city shall sell only burial rights, as distinguished from fee simple title, in all lots or parts of lots in the city cemetery, title to which belongs to the city or which shall hereafter be acquired by the city. All such burial rights in lots or parts of lots in the city cemetery shall be sold at such prices as are set from time to time by the city council and in effect at the time purchase is made. A schedule of such prices shall be maintained in the office of the city secretary.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-4)
(a) 
Owners of any blocks, lots or lands in the city cemetery or owners of burial rights in any blocks, lots or lands in the city cemetery shall not allow interments on their blocks, lots or lands for a remuneration, nor shall any transfer of interest therein be valid except with the written consent of the mayor endorsed upon such transfer or assignment.
(b) 
Whenever any owner of any blocks, lots or portions thereof or any owner of burial rights in any blocks, lots or portions thereof desires to transfer his right, title or interest in any such blocks, lots or any portion thereof, the price he shall charge or receive therefor shall be strictly in accordance with the schedule of prices in effect at the time of the transfer.
(c) 
Speculation on any right, title or interest in any blocks, lots or portions thereof or on any lands in the city cemetery is strictly prohibited.
(d) 
The city shall repurchase burial lots or parts of lots or burial rights in lots or parts of lots, upon which interments have not been made, when the owners thereof desire to dispose of the same. The amount to be paid by the city for such lots or parts of lots or burial rights in such lots or parts of lots shall be the price for burial rights in such lots or parts of lots in effect at the time such burial lot or parts of burial lots or burial rights is offered for resale to the city.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-5)
Existing city ordinances to the contrary notwithstanding, whenever any trees or shrubs situated on any cemetery lot, by means of their roots or branches, become detrimental to the adjacent lots or avenues or become unsightly or inconvenient for visitors, it shall be the duty and the right of the city or its agents to enter upon the lot for such purpose, to remove the trees or shrubbery or such part thereof as they shall determine to be detrimental, unsightly or inconvenient. The city authorities shall have the right to remove any trees or shrubbery that may be infected by scales or other diseases and to plant and mow the grass on all lots and graves. Such right of removal by city authorities shall extend to the right of removal of shrubs, flowers and other ornamental plants that exceed three (3) feet in height or encroach upon an adjoining lot or avenue. The city reserves the exclusive authority to plant all trees and shrubs, flowers or ornamental plants that exceed three (3) feet in height.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-6)
It shall be the duty of the funeral director in charge of the burial to dig or have dug all graves at any and all times. Such graves shall be of a depth so as to conform with state law. The funeral director shall fill the grave after disposing of the casket within the grave unless friends or relatives choose to fill up the same. Any dirt remaining after filling of the grave shall be disposed of by the funeral director. For his services, the funeral director shall be entitled to charge the friends or relatives of the deceased person or any corporation or incorporate society having the same done a reasonable sum. Such sums as may be charged by the funeral director for grave openings and closings shall be subject to periodic evaluation and approval by the city council.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-8)
No grave shall be opened for a burial in the city cemetery unless that party desiring to open such grave shall first apply at the office of the city secretary for a permit. A copy of the state permit may be sent to the city in lieu of this section provided it provides the city with the information needed.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-9)
It shall not be lawful for any person to bury any human being within the corporate limits of the city in any place except in the city cemetery. Any body so unlawfully interred shall be disinterred and buried in the city cemetery at the expense of the offending person.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-10)
It shall not be lawful for any person to enter upon that portion of the cemetery of the city which has been sectioned and designated and laid off in blocks or sections, in the manner and form designated upon the map on file in the city secretary’s office, for the purpose of digging a grave, nor shall any person dig a grave in such portions of the cemetery, without first having obtained the right to do so.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-11)
The city council shall from time to time designate and set aside areas of the city cemetery for purposes of the burial of any dead body of a pauper or persons given to the care of the city. Burial of paupers shall be by order of the mayor. In the case of paupers who die within the city limits, the city shall provide the burial space. In the case of paupers who die outside the city limits, burial shall be at the expense of the party requesting burial or the pauper.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-12)
It shall henceforth be unlawful for any person to build or erect any coping, fence, hedge, ditch or enclosure of any kind or character upon or around any grave, block, lot or plot of land in any of the cemeteries owned or controlled by the city.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-13)
Ornaments, chairs, settees, vases, glass jars, pitchers, artificial flowers, flowers, toys, watering cans or other articles that may be considered objectionable by the city authorities are prohibited in the cemetery and the right to remove the same without notice is reserved. Objects of wood of any kind, unless placed in the cemetery by the city authorities, shall not be permitted in the cemetery, and no gravel, brick, stone, cement or other kind of artificial walk will be allowed on any lot, nor will grave blankets or pebbles, pea gravel or sand be allowed as lot cover. Surface vaults and appropriate monuments shall not be prohibited by this section.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-14)
Receptacles for flowers hereafter placed within the cemetery must be made of metal or stone, must be sunk below the surface of the ground and must be of such character as not to interfere with mowing or appear unsightly when not filled.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-15)
Funeral designs and floral pieces will be removed from the graves when they become wilted or unsightly in the judgment of the city authorities. Persons desiring to retain such design or piece must remove the same within forty-eight (48) hours after the interment. In no case will a city employee attempt to locate designs or floral pieces after their removal from the lots.
(1987 Code, sec. 6-16)