ST. GEORGE — The reclamation of potentially abandoned plots in the downtown St. George Cemetery is moving forward as efforts are being made by the city to contact the targeted plot’s last known owners and or families.
The city of St. George issued a press release Thursday highlighting the city’s efforts to verify the status of various plots in the downtown cemetery that have gone unused for 60 years. The press release also issued a deadline for plot owners to confirm their claims or risk losing them.
“Utah state law authorizes the City, via resolution, to terminate the rights of any owner, after giving the required notice, who fails to submit a claim by June 26, 2023 indicating a desire to keep or transfer the lot,” David Cordero, the city communications and marketing director, wrote in Thursday’s press release.
“The City desires to work collaboratively with each individual who submits a valid claim to transfer the lot to an heir or descendant,” he added.
Reclaiming the seemingly abandoned cemetery plots was discussed by the City Council in April, with a subsequent resolution to begin the process being passed by the council on May 4.
Since then the city has posted the resolution and list of the subject plots on the city’s website. The list can be found here.
So far City Recorder Christina Fernandez has been able to contact around a third of the listed lot owners’ descendants about retaining ownership of the plots, Cordero wrote.
“Fernandez is working with these families to keep the lots within the family and hopes to hear from all the families on the list,” he added.
Fernandez can be contacted at 435-627-4003 about retaining rights to the lots.
A claim must be filed by June 26. Competing claims will be resolved after that date.
Priority will go to the closest heir or descendant. Any grandchild or great-grandchild will need to eventually provide proof that all interested heirs or descendants agree to the disposition of the lot.
Prior to any lot being transferred, cemetery staff will inspect the lot to ensure that it is vacant and appears useful for burial.
Cordero told St. George News on Friday that the city’s goal is to help people retain their claims and rights to the plots rather than have the city take them back.
The city will be willing to work with those who may contact the city too late but have proof of ownership for a plot, Assistant City Attorney Ryan Dooley said during the April council meeting.
“You’ll have the right to be buried in our cemetery, but not a particular plot,” Dooley said.
One reason the city will be willing to work with plot owners on this issue is due to the possibility of a resident buying a plot many years and passing on the site deed to a relative in a will upon their death.
In such cases, the transfer of ownership isn’t always reported back to the city, which can lead to the site being declared abandoned and available for someone else.
City ordinance does not allow burial plots to be sold from one person to another, Dooley said. This is meant to keep potential plot speculators from inflating the price and profiting off the sale of city burial plots.
The last time the city engaged in reclaiming cemetery plots was in the 1980s.
Ed. note: A part of this article was reproduced from the story published on April 14.
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