Ephrata may not allow cemetery displays

CBH Columbia Basin Herald Local News

by Herald Staff Writer & Cameron Probert
| January 22, 2013 5:00 AM

EPHRATA - Ephrata is considering not allowing displays in the cemetery because of staff cutbacks.

City Administrator Wes Crago presented the potential change to the city council during a recent meeting, saying city staff members are still working on a more formal report with other potential options. The displays are any item which aren't flowers, including potted plants, stuffed animals and vases.

"We've downsized our city operations pretty drastically during (the previous) 11 years," he said. "We were, in 2002 at one point, 65 (full-time employees) working for the City of Ephrata, we're now at 47."

The city's budget decreased 27 percent in the same period, Crago said. The city has cut as much as it can without changing the level of service it offers. City staff mows about 32 acres of grass in its parks, generally once or twice a week, he said. All of the parks, except for the cemetery, take about 325 man hours a year to maintain. The cemetery takes more than twice the amount, 756 man hours a year, to maintain.

"Part of that is because the cemetery is a special place," Crago said. "It's maintained at a higher level than the parks for obvious reasons. It's a little more intricate to mow around. The largest thing is ... it takes three people to mow."

One person removes displays from the graves, one person mows and the final person puts the displays back on the graves, he said. The process slows down the employees.

"Many, if not most, cemeteries don't allow that type of display. They allow flowers that can be mowed over, and can be removed easily," Crago said. "Now this is a pretty sensitive subject for the staff that works at the cemetery. They really look at what they do down there as almost ministry to the people who are grieving." Staff mows the cemetery three times a week, Crago said, adding the staff feels its important it look well maintained.

"Believe me, when we don't mow three times a week, I will get a phone call after that weekend from somebody who has noticed that the grass is longer than it should be," he said.

The city doesn't have the people necessary to continue mowing the way they are, he said. The staff has been examining options, but the one with the smallest impact and doesn't involve raising a rate is not allowing displays at the cemetery.

City officials are still researching the subject, and seeing if other options exist, Crago said. They have shifted staff members from other departments to handle mowing, including having senior administrators mow.

"Everybody pitches in to get this done, but from a sustainable standpoint we've got to do something different this year," he said. "Right now, without having done a lot of discussion, we think this is the best option."

Councilmember Bruce Reim asked what the city saved by only allowing flowers.

Crago estimated it would cut the amount of hours spent by two-thirds, and the city could continue mowing without any part-time employees.

"In the summertime, I'll get a complaint a month, perhaps, from people who see the mowing operation and ask us, 'Why do we do it in that manner? That's slow. That's inefficient. Why do you allow these things to go on?'" he said.

The cemetery also benefits from volunteer help, Crago said. Volunteers raise headstones, put up flags, and help do some of the non-mowing maintenance. He pointed out some concerns about volunteers using city's mowers.

The city does receive money from fees to use the cemetery, but the maintenance is supplemented by the general fund, or having other departments help, he said.

The city is looking at putting in different types of grass and different schedules for fertilizing, but it won't get the city through the summer, Crago said.

"To do what we're doing now, we need to pick up that (full-time employee)," he said. "(Mowing the cemetery) one time a week may get us there, but generally in the summer, most of the parks are getting (mowed twice a week)."

Crago anticipates holding public hearings about possible options at the cemetery.