Afton City Council gives warning to Greenlawn mower

AFTON - Criticism on the upkeep of Greenlawn Cemetery has led the Afton City Council to take action.

Following the swap of which councilmember would represent the city of Afton on the cemetery board, Sheryl Parham gave her first report to the council during Tuesday’s regular board meeting.

Parham reported upkeep of the cemetery has been under the standards set for mowing. The city of Afton hires an outside service to mow and apply certain chemicals to maintain the cemetery.

Photos were provided to the board. She reported grass that was “chest-high” in certain areas, along with overgrown mulberry tree saplings which had not been properly trimmed by the contracted worker.

With these saplings, Parham said that they posed a major problem to headstones in the cemetery. “If you could get them when they’re small, you can continue to just keep whacking them down,” she said. “She [the mower] has let stuff go for anywhere from four to six weeks for weedeating and many of the places. Now, you have to go clip those trees down, tordon them, and it won’t come back up again.”

Kristie Nixon, the former city council representative on the cemetery board, had contacted the contracted worker during her time as representative, showing a continued issue.

The council decided on a letter to be sent to the current mower, outlining work that was considered inadequate and consequences if the work is not to be completed. Revoking pay would be considered if standards are not met.

Councilmember Jeff Burger raised an objection to revoking pay, saying that threatening to take away pay could lead to the work never being completed.

Upkeep of Greenlawn has been a contentious issue in Afton, with no dedicated caretaker since 2021 to maintain focused attention to the cemetery. The council’s main goal was to make sure Greenlawn Cemetery would be in shape by Labor Day.

Harold Dalton was approved to the cemetery board by city council following the resignation of Jacob Walter. Dalton will fill Walter’s remaining term. Nixon said Dalton had worked in the cemetery during volunteer days and was positive about his addition to the board.

In other Afton city council news...

A special council meeting was held before Tuesday’s regular council meeting for the board to review applications for the part-time utility clerk position. Of the nine applicants, four of them will be interviewed on Tuesday, with the board rejecting applications which were turned in late, didn’t include certain parts of the application (such as a resume or cover letter) or were considered unfit for the role.

A decision to swap internet providers for city hall and the Wi-Fi center was considered, with the council tabling the decision for a special meeting scheduled on Tuesday. The council was positively receptive for making the swap from their current provider, Windstream, to Lockridge. The decision was delayed to gather information about how city hall cameras could be used if the switch were to be made.

The last round of exterior beatification grants were approved, along with two permits added to the waitlist pending the completion of other grants potentially leaving a surplus of funds. No more grants can be approved until work is finished on currently approved grants and only if approved grants are finished under budget.

An ordinance codifying livestock permits was given a first reading. The ordinance allows for changes the council has made regarding how the city would be handling livestock to be implemented. These changes include adding the requirement of an annual application, alongside a $25 annual fee.

A resolution was made to change depositories of city funds to Northwest Bank. This change accommodates the merging of First National Bank, the city’s previous depository, with Northwest Bank.