The Brighton City Council will need to reschedule a public hearing on proposed new rules governing the city’s two main cemeteries, both on Flint Road.

Council recently learned that the city, as required by its own policy and rules of procedure, failed to publish a notice of a public hearing on the proposed rules changes. As a result, the public hearing will need to be held all over again.

At its meeting Thursday night, council passed a motion to rescind the new rules, which were approved two weeks ago. A date for the rescheduled public hearing was not set at that time. City Manager Nate Geinzer tells WHMI that the main reason the notice was not published was recent staff changes. The city just hired a new city clerk to replace the former clerk. Also, the long-time cemetery sexton recently retired, with a new sexton coming on board.

The recommended changes include eliminating the deadline for owners to remove cemetery urns from lots, specifying that the placement of memorial flag holders be on the left or right side of a headstone, adding foundation installation dates and lead times and revising the special cemetery planting permit to include decorations. (TT)