City of Llano apologizes for throwing away gravesite decorations
A large number of gravesite decorations were removed from the Llano City Cemetery during a deep clean in late July. The city apologized for removing decorations that were likely in compliance with the ordinance governing the cemetery and vowed to better inform the public about cleanups and gravesite decoration rules in the future. Photo by Sheila Homesley
The city of Llano issued an apology July 26 after a large number of gravesite decorations were removed from the Llano City Cemetery and thrown away during a deep clean.
The city said the routine cleanup of the cemetery in late July went too far and steps will be taken to ensure residents know about future ones.
Officials attributed the removal of flowers, sentimental items, and grave decorations to poor communication among city staff and no communication with residents regarding the deep clean.
“While we believe the intent of our city crews was to do an excellent job of cleaning the cemetery, the result was less than optimal as some items removed were items that our citizens did not want cleaned up,” reads a city of Llano media release. “We pledge to do better in the future.”
From now on, the city said it will announce cemetery deep cleans in advance via its Facebook page and in notices included in utility bills.
Llano Mayor Marion Bishop told DailyTrib.com the parks staff tried to go above and beyond in their routine cleanup to prepare the cemetery for the funeral of Llano native Bradley Tatsch, a father and electric company lineman who was killed in a work-related accident on July 19.
“(Parks workers) were probably a little overzealous in their cleanup,” Bishop said. “There was some stuff that needed to be taken down, but it could have been handled better.”
According to Llano City Ordinance 1394 Section 30-58, which includes cemetery rules, decorations can be removed when they become “unsightly,” such as wilted or soiled artificial flowers, and they must be placed on the foundations of the graves. The city acknowledged that a portion of the decorations that were removed were likely in compliance with the ordinance, but some of them were not.
“We will re-educate our staff on the information from these (ordinance) sections, so they have a better understanding of what items are acceptable,” reads the city’s media release. “To help us keep your cemetery clean and presentable, we ask that each of you educate yourselves as well. Your compliance with these rules will make it easier for us to protect these sentimental items from erroneously being discarded by our staff.”