Some of the biggest names in Arlington history are buried in a cemetery that for nearly 30 years has seen limited internments. That’s about to change.
Arlington Cemetary holds headstones with recognizable names like Collins and Ditto, figures in the city’s history whose names are now shared by streets and schools. And in recent months, it’s been a topic of discussion at city council meetings as leaders prepare a new ordinance to govern how the cemetary is operated.
When city took ownership of the property in 1995, invoking Chapter 713 of the Texas Health and Safety code, state law prohibited Arlington Cemetery from selling new plots. That’s because, despite the city’s takeover of the property, the law considered it abandoned.
That the law was changed in 2023 after state and Arlington leaders heard from living notable figures who would like to be buried in Arlington Cemetery, meaning the city can now sell new plots in the cemetery. But before it can do that, the city council will have to set new rules.
Sarah Stubblefield, the strategic initiatives manager for Arlington, said the city didn’t have a lot of responsibilities with the cemetery when new plots couldn’t be sold.
“We really took sort of a custodian role because it was essentially abandoned,” Stubblefield said. “That didn’t require a lot of governance. We made sure we mowed it, we handled internments for old families that had plots out there on an as-needed basis and really just try to keep the grounds up out there with basic maintenance.”
Truly operating a cemetery requires more planning and oversight, Stubblefield said. Standards for how plots are sold, how the cemetery is laid out and how people who have purchased plots can ensure they aren't sold to someone else.
The city has been getting ready for the changes, in part by using ground-penetrating radar to detect burial sites between headstones.
Another step in preparations is creating an appeals process for people who already own burial plots. Some records were lost before the city took ownership of the property, meaning there may not be a record of every plot that was purchased.
Stubblefield said anybody who owns a plot will have time to bring in proof of purchase to ensure their site isn't sold to someone else by mistake.
Much of the ordinance isn't particularly exciting, Stubblefield said. In many cases, the rules outlined will be designed to match other cemeteries.
“Most of the text in the ordinance is to make the cemetery operable and keep it in line with industry standards,” she told KERA News. “We’re not doing anything crazy here. ... It's really just a formalization of something we’ve been needing to do for a while but kind of got that kickstart with the change in state law and starting to really operate the cemetery at a larger scale.”
The ordinance will also address standards and expectations for third-party operators, the abandonment and appeals process and a fee schedule for burial rights and internments.
Barbara Odom-Wesley, the council member representing District 8 and head of the Municipal Policy Committee, said much of the work on the ordinance is done, but not all of it.
She said at a council meeting that the committee will continue the process of refining the ordinance on May 13, the day of the next council meeting.
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