Tifton City Council took no action during a nearly two-hour, special called meeting Thursday to hear from residents about the addition of an on-site  crematorium at a funeral business on 12th Street.

Reflection Cremation and Funeral Service, which has been in operation about a year and a half at 106 12th St. E., is expanding its existing facility to add a crematory and expand its casket, prep and storage rooms. Nearby business owner

Spud Bowen is concerned about the crematorium's effect on property values and said "the application process was not followed" for the expansion of the business.

Concerns were raised over parking, landscaping and the exit from the property through a lane. Another nearby business owner, Gary Kincaid, questioned the efficacy of enlarging a building that sits on a 100- by 100-foot lot. Kincaid also said parking will be an issue.

City Attorney Rob Wilmot noted that the funeral business did not initially submit a parking plan but has since submitted one. He also noted that the business is "properly zoned," and that the building permit was "properly issued. ... All requirements were met for issuance of the building permit."

However, Wilmot noted that the plans for the addition were incomplete when they were submitted to and approved by the city Historical Preservation Commission (HPC). The submitted plans did not show a proposed chimney, and landscaping was not detailed. The funeral service will have to go back to the HPC for approval of those items. He said chimney construction cannot continue without that approval but other construction "can continue legally."

Mike Jones, one of the owners of Reflection Cremation and Funeral Service, said the primary issue is one of an "uninformed public." Jones said property values won't change, that there would be "no unusual emissions" from the crematorium, and, regarding the perception of his business, he said he can't control that.

Jones said his business has served about 200 families and that Reflection is a "low-cost provider," serving a need for those families who cannot afford much for funeral and cremation services. Approximately 70 percent of his business is strictly cremation, Jones said, and very few formal funeral services are held on site.

City Council decided to place the matter on its agenda for its next meeting. 

"We are not alone in Tifton on this issue," City Attorney Wilmot noted.