Ashe County holds first reading on cemetery ordinance; commissioners approve subdivision text amendment to allow 0.5-acre lots where utilities exist

The Ashe County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing and discussion on a proposed cemetery ordinance and separate subdivision text amendments.

Assistant county manager Nick Farbery explained the package. He said the subdivision changes align private road widths and cul‑de‑sac dimensions with current North Carolina fire code and include a recommended reduction in minimum lot size from 1.0 to 0.5 acre where a community utility system (public or private) or a shared well/septic arrangement exists. "The lot size would be reduced from a minimum of 1 acre to 0.5 acre if there's a community utility system," Farbery said.

Farbery described two versions of the cemetery ordinance — one approved by the planning board and a second tabled version that differs primarily on a right-of-entry provision. He said the county cannot adopt the cemetery ordinance at this meeting but solicited public comment.

Public commenters included Jerry Brown of the cemetery committee, who said the ordinance would help protect historic and abandoned cemeteries and cited a county GPS inventory of 1,218 cemeteries and an estimate of about 69,000 graves. "One of the main things is to prevent damage," Brown said, urging protection for veterans' and Revolutionary War graves.

Commissioners debated the subdivision amendment's technical conditions, including whether shared wells or private community systems would qualify and the role of the health department in approving septic and well separations. After discussion, a motion to advance the planning‑board text amendment passed; the board left the cemetery ordinance at first reading for further consideration.

Next steps: staff will coordinate health-department review where applicable and present the cemetery ordinance for a future meeting when the board may act.