TCC approves resolution for Toccoa City Cemetery

The Toccoa City Commission approved a resolution concerning the Toccoa City Cemetery during its meeting on Monday.

According to City Manager Billy Morse the resolution is in response to the recent ground penetrating radar survey. He says the survey showed that there were a number of unidentified and inaccurately marked gravesites throughout the west section of the Toccoa City Cemetery.

Morse says out of respect for those persons and their families who are buried in the West Section and who are unknown or unidentified the City of Toccoa is adopting several new policies.

Those policies include that gravesites in this section will be designated and commemorated by the City with appropriate plaques and a commemorative monument will be erected to honor those unknown persons.

The city will also place a moratorium on any burials in the West Section, except for burials designated in Section 4 of the Resolution.

Commissioner Terry Carter says there were 940 unmarked graves discovered.

“Mayor, I know a few months ago we hired a company to come in to do ground penetrating radar. They identified 940 unmarked graves. I’m glad we did that survey,” he said.

Carter addressed concern that there was a clause included in the draft of the resolution that was excluded from the final version.

“One thing that I noticed that wasn’t in this final resolution that was in the draft version is that while a grave is being open that someone from the city, at an executive level, would be there,” he said. “I think we talked about the city manager, city clerk, even the city chaplain and a family member be present while we open a grave.”

Commissioner Evan Hellenga said the final draft included that any city employee could oversee the opening of a grave.

However, Carter said it should be an executive level employee like the City Manager or City Clerk.

“Do we need to add the clause back to make sure these members are here. I think that the fact that we have documented 13 times that our graves have been disrupted. I think it’s important that someone at the executive level is there to oversee that so it doesn’t happen again,” he said.

Vice-Mayor Gail Fry agreed with Carter.

Mayor David Austin asked Carter if he didn’t think any city employee would be sufficient.

“So, you don’t think the city supervision doesn’t cover what we need to do,” Austin asked.

“I don’t think it’s strong enough, Mayor. I think there’s been too many instances that graves have been disturbed and this is a serious enough matter. The few times that this would come up that a plot that has been identified, to make an exception, since we have the moratorium in place, to make that exception that someone at the executive level would be there to ensure there’s no encroachment or disturbance of an existing grave. They should not have replotted this in the 80s. They were advised to do what we just did; but, that was not done. There’s been graves, that have been documented in our records, that have been disturbed and this in important enough to ensure that it’s done right.

A motion was made amending the resolution to include a clause that requires the City Manager or City Clerk be onsite when a grave is being open. That motion was made by Carter with Fry seconding the motion.

Then another motion approving the resolution with the amended section was made by Fry with Carter seconding the motion.

Both motions were approved 4-0 with Commissioner Jeanette Jamieson being absent.