DIDSBURY - Council has approved several updates to the Town of Didsbury's cemetery bylaw, including as it relates to maintenance and care of monuments at the local facility.
An addition added to the bylaw states: “Monuments that are damaged or degraded to the point of unsightliness, may be removed by the town. The town will make every reasonable effort to contact the next of kin of the deceased to allow them the opportunity replace the monument.”
The policy and governance committee examined the existing bylaw and recommended various changes. The changes were presented to council on April 9.
Other updates to the bylaw include one under the records and sale of plots section, which now states: “If a person no longer wishes to hold their title over a plot, they may sell the plot back to the Town (of Didsbury) at 85 per cent of market value of the plot at the date of resale. The town may request a copy of the original receipt to be submitted as proof of purchase.”
A second change under the maintenance and care section reads that, “No person, other than Town of Didsbury employees shall disturb, remove or plant any tree, shrub, plant, weed, grass, flowering ornamental, sod or dirt on any plot anywhere in the cemetery.
“The Town of Didsbury is authorized to remove any trees, shrubs, creeping or climbing plants situated on or about the cemetery that become unsightly, dangerous, inconvenient or detrimental to adjacent plots, the free use of a plot, walkways or driveways.”
The bylaw now includes an updated enforcement and penalties section, including additional wording stating, “In the case of an offence that is of a continuing nature, a contravention constitutes a separate offence in respect of each day, or part of a day, on which the offence continues and any person guilty of such an offence is liable to a fine in an amount not less than that established by this bylaw for each such day.”
Council gave second and third reading to the updated Cemetery Bylaw No. 2024-03, which is available for viewing on the town’s website.
