COVINGTON, Ga—The City of Covington’s new cemetery restrictions are officially in place.

At Monday’s city council meeting, the council members approved the final reading of an ordinance that implements new restrictions on the city cemeteries. The measure passed 5-1, with Councilman Travis Moore casting the lone opposing vote.

The Covington News reached out to Moore for comment, as he was absent from the first reading a few weeks ago, and there was no dialogue during Monday’s vote. 

"One question I still have is why the sudden push to stop allowing these tours," Moore said in a statement to The News, in part. "The ghost tours have gone through the privately owned section for years during the set hours that were allowed, and that’s been widely known. I’ve been on one of these tours myself. I love Covington’s history, and the tour was done respectfully. No one took pictures, no one stepped on graves, and the guide gave clear instructions not to.

"So, is it fair to blame the local ghost tour company for random issues? Based on what I saw, I don’t think so."

The new restrictions will change the cemetery visiting hours to between dawn and dusk, meaning that opening and closing times will vary throughout the year. The city previously had a designated closing time of 9:30 p.m. posted, which meant that the cemetery was sometimes still accessible long after nightfall.

Per the meeting’s agenda packet, activity restrictions are now in place as well. The new rule will prohibit for-profit tourism at the cemetery:

“No for-profit commercial activities other than commercial mortuary and burial services shall be permitted in any city owned cemetery without the prior approval of the city council.”

Though prohibiting filming in the cemetery was originally among the council’s discussed restrictions, there was no mention of it among the new restricted activities ordinance that was adopted.

The push for these additional restrictions came earlier this month when a video circulated on social media of what appeared to be a cemetery tour taking place at nightfall. The group was later identified as Covington Ghost Tours.

The video sparked conversation, with several city officials weighing in. Mayor Fleeta Baggett shared her perspective in the comment section of the Facebook post, using the words “distasteful and disturbing.”

“It’s wrong, distasteful and disturbing to make money off the souls of others,” Baggett commented in part on Oct. 4. “I don’t care how ‘respectful’ your tours are.”

Moore, who opposed the new restrictions, also commented his personal experience taking the tour, though he added that he was not “arguing right or wrong.”

“It was done respectfully and no one was taking pictures of tombstones, or left the street,” Moore commented in part on Oct. 4.

The city initiated the ordinance change with a first reading on Oct. 6. The vote passed 4-0, with Moore and Councilwoman Susie Keck absent.

In the weeks since, Ann Wildmon, owner of Covington Ghost Tours, wrote an op-ed in The News that offered her perspective on the situation. In the op-ed, Wildmon called the new restrictions “discriminatory” and urged the city to work towards finding a middle ground.

“Our leaders should instead work toward a balanced solution — one that protects the dignity of the cemetery without silencing lawful, respectful storytelling that celebrates our shared heritage,” Wildmon wrote.

The News reached out to Wildmon following the ordinance’s final approval on Monday. Wildmon shared that, despite the new restriction, her business is doing fine.

“The city has really rallied around my business!” Wildmon said. “We’ve sold out all of our tours so far this month! It’s been great. The stroll through the side street in the cemetery was maybe 5% of the overall tour. Not a big deal.”