Burial services will continue at Austin cemeteries after Austin City Council reluctantly closed the casket on a contract with Interment Services Inc. on June 27.

"Today, I'm standing before you, and I think the staff would tell you, I wish I could stand up here and tell you there are better options," said Sara Hensley, Director of City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department that oversees the cemeteries.

The 60-month contract cannot exceed about $3.8 million with two possible 60-month extensions at the same rate. The city oversees five cemeteries, including Austin Memorial Cemetery, Oakwood Cemetery and Plummers Cemetery. The city averages about 480 burials per year.

The city has been working with Internment Services Inc. on a temporary basis since March. Concerns over the contract came from previous issues with the contractor about cemetery conditions. The temporary contract is up July 31.

Sharon Blythe, founder of Rescue Austin Memorial Park, spoke to the council against contracting with Internment Services, saying she was very concerned with the contract.

"We have no guarantee that once the ink's dry on the contract whether [the owner] will abide by anything because of his past bad record," Blythe said.

Blythe showed the council photos of marker damage, tree damage and uneven grave sites she said were caused by the contractor.

According to city documents, officials only received two bids for interment and burial services but one of the proposals was deemed non-responsive because it was not completed.

The approved contract does have an 18-month review stipulation where city staff will be able to terminate the contract if services do not meet their standards.

Hensley assured the council that her department would be watching the company closely to make sure services are up to an acceptable standard.

"It seems to me we are really in a bind here, but the contract does have provisions that if the work is not adequate, even though it's a 60-month contract, you could terminate that contract," said Mayor Lee Leffingwell.