City of Jacksonville City Cemeteries Board met Sept. 20.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
The regular monthly meeting of the Jacksonville City Cemeteries Board was called to order at 8:33 a.m. in the Commission Room of the Jacksonville Municipal Building. The meeting was publicly announced by posting and by written notice to the local newspaper and radio stations.
ROLL CALL: Members present were: Chairman Doug Moore, Tom Newby, Linda Brown, Carolyn Bonjean, Gerald Scott; Superintendent Jim Pierson; Deputy City Clerk Angela Salyer. Absent from the meeting was Treasurer Mary Fergurson. A quorum was declared.
AGENDA: Motion was made by Newby, seconded by Bonjean, to approve the September 20, 2019 Agenda as presented in advance. By voice vote, motion carried.
MINUTES: Motion was made by Scott, seconded by Newby, to approve the August 16, 2019 as presented in advance. By voice vote, motion carried.
FINANCE:
a.) Treasurer’s Investment Report – August 2019:
Chair Moore advised that Ms. Fergurson has purchased another Ally Bank Certificate of Deposit (CD) in the amount of $50,000 that consists of the $25,000 Ally Bank CD that matured on September 9, 2019 and $25,000 from the Trust Fund. The new CD rate is 1.95% and matures September 20, 2022. He noted that the brokerage account has slipped just under $300,000 but there is still a good margin from the cost basis.
b.) Cash Receipts Report – August 2019:
Ms. Brown gave a brief overview of the Cash Receipts Report, noting that there is a balance of $92,627.19 in the operating fund. A balance of $9,339.42 remains in the Trust Fund after the $25,000 withdrawal for the purchase of a CD. The money for the Trust Fund comes from lot or columbarium sales. A revenue balance of 40.89% and an expenditure balance of 45.26% remain at the end of August. Brief discussion ensued regarding billing and payments from the funeral homes.
c.) Cash Receipts Report and Claims Approval – August 2019:
Motion was made by Brown, seconded by Newby, to approve the Cash Receipts Report and to pay claims when funds are available. By voice vote, motion carried.
Chair Moore noted that the Consolidated Investment report does not reflect the additional $25,000 Ally Bank CD. The CD should be indicated on the September report.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT: Supt. Pierson reported on the following:
The front posts at Diamond Grove cemetery have been painted
The road surveys have begun at the new Massey addition of the Diamond Grove cemetery
A new fence with a gate has been installed running east and west at the end of the new addition providing secure storage of seasonal equipment. Plans are to landscape the area which will provide an extra measure of security
The Capital Improvement Budget process is set to begin in October. Supt. Pierson will be requesting $50,000 to put toward the roadwork for the new addition at Diamond Grove cemetery.
Additionally, Supt. Pierson will put in a request for funds to allow for the annual mower trade-in
Wages for part-time employees is set to increase in 2020 as recently mandated by law. Supt. Pierson is planning to keep the budget the same as last year and hopes to keep the same number of summer employees without having to increase the budget
Ms. Brown would like to explore the idea of purchasing a new columbarium, as cremation seems to be on an upward trend and the current columbarium is three-quarters full. Supt. Pierson agrees and had already obtained pricing at the end of last year. He has a couple locations in mind for a larger columbarium than what is currently in the cemetery.
Mr. Scott complimented Supt. Pierson and his staff on keeping the cemeteries looking beautiful. PUBLIC COMMENT: No discussion.
OLD BUSINESS: Chair Moore continues to work on the rule book. Supt. Pierson advised that the department is now out of rule books.
The memorandum from the Jacksonville Area Senior Chaplaincy regarding the burial lot transfer of title to the City of Jacksonville has been received and once signed, will be complete. The next phase will be working with the funeral homes to draft qualifications on participation of indigent care. The matter of fetal burials is currently in the hands of Passavant Hospital.
Mr. Newby talked about recently taking a tour through the cemetery to learn the history of several early Jacksonville settlers.
NEW BUSINESS: Supt. Pierson introduced Georgann Schultz who has been asked to work on the history of the Jacksonville cemeteries for the Cemetery Department. Ms. Schultz, who does extensive research and photography at the cemeteries for a site through Ancestry called Find a Grave, talked at length about her qualifications for this type of work, and her interest in the history and the people, especially the early Pioneers, of Jacksonville. General discussion ensued.
ADJOURNMENT: Hearing no further business, a motion was made by Bonjean, seconded by Brown, to adjourn the meeting at 9:13 a.m. By voice vote, motion carried. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Jacksonville City Cemeteries Board will be held Friday, October 18, 2019, 8:30 a.m. in the Commission Room at the City of Jacksonville Municipal Building.
http://cms6.revize.com/revize/jacksonvilleil/city_government/boards_commissions_and_committees/docs/Boards%20Commissions%20Committees/Cemetery_Board_Minutes/2019/09.20.19.pdf
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