The Bluff Town Council held a work session on August 11, 2026, to address several municipal matters, including proposed changes to cemetery ordinances and the development of a new employee benefits policy, according to approved meeting minutes published August 28.
During the session, Cemetery Board members Carolyn Harmon and Tom Hiserodt presented updated ordinance recommendations. The proposed changes include prohibiting balloon launching within the cemetery proper and addressing rules for animals, home burials, and plot abandonment. The council discussed a recommendation to set the plot abandonment threshold at longer than 60 years. Additionally, the council approved requests for the purchase of cemetery signs and sand for marking unknown burials, while noting that future large-scale requests, such as a $10,000 road expansion, would require further discussion.
The council also reviewed a draft for a new employee benefits policy aimed at staff retention and well-being. Discussions included health insurance coverage percentages, retirement eligibility requiring 20 hours of work per week, and a transition from an unlimited paid time off policy to an accrual-based system. The draft proposed 15 days of non-rolling health leave, six weeks of paid postpartum recovery leave, and three to five days of bereavement leave depending on the family relationship.
Financial discussions included a report from the Tourism Tax Advisory Board meeting held on August 10. While revenues through May 2026 were considered good, officials noted that numbers for July, the first month of the 2026/27 fiscal year, have decreased. Blanding City was noted as a higher earner of the Transient Room Tax than Bluff.
The council also reviewed results from the 2026 Bluff Wellbeing Survey, which identified Bluff as the most connected community among those surveyed. The session concluded with notes regarding upcoming conferences and a proposed joint work session between the Planning and Zoning and Town Council groups.
