City of Jacksonville Cemeteries Board met Nov. 15.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
The regular monthly meeting of the Jacksonville City Cemeteries Board was called to order at 8:39 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; City Clerk Skip Bradshaw. Absent from the meeting was Treasurer Mary Fergurson. A quorum was declared.
AGENDA: Motion was made by Newby, seconded by Scott, to approve the November 15, 2019 Agenda as presented in advance. By voice vote, motion carried.
MINUTES: Ms. Brown noted that the purchase of the columbarium at Diamond Grove Cemetery will most likely be made prior to the construction of the storage building at East Cemetery and asked that the Minutes reflect that amendment. Motion was made by Scott, seconded by Bonjean, to approve the October 18, 2019 as amended. By voice vote, motion carried.
FINANCE:
a.) Treasurer’s Investment Report – October 2019: Chair Moore reported that there is a $100,000 Federal National Mortgage Association Note that will be maturing December 27, 2019. He is hopeful that the interest rate will be around 2% for the reinvestment.
b.) Cash Receipts Report – October 2019: Ms. Brown gave a brief overview of the Cash Receipts Report, noting that there is a cash balance of $101,515.15 remaining in the checking account, and a remaining balance of $15,229.39 in the Trust Fund Account. A revenue balance of 23.44% and an expenditure balance of 30.15% remain at the end of October.
c.) Cash Receipts Report and Claims Approval – October 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.
It was noted that the funds received from the State of Illinois for cemetery maintenance are not indicated on the Cash Receipts Report as they were received in November. CC Bradshaw pointed out that the funds have been received and are indicated on the current General Ledger included with the Cash Receipts Report packet.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT: Supt. Pierson reported on the following:
The burial spaces that were included in the land recently donated by the Jacksonville Area Senior Chaplaincy have been plotted and are ready to sell
A new culvert has been installed to replace the old, damaged one at the Massey View addition at Diamond Grove Cemetery. Several sewage drains running through Diamond Grove Cemetery have also been repaired as well as areas behind the parking lot to help with drainage issues
Today, November 15th, is the last day summer employees will be working
PUBLIC COMMENT: No discussion.
OLD BUSINESS: Patsy Kelly of Passavant Area Hospital gave a presentation regarding fetal burials. She explained that when a baby is lost prior to 20 weeks gestation it is considered medically as fetal tissue and is disposed of like surgical tissue, unless the parent chooses to bury the fetus themselves. Her aim is to offer some dignity to families without the means to provide a proper burial. She talked about a nationwide program called Share Burial which is a program for parents who have lost pregnancies at less than 24 weeks and elect to have their little ones buried with other little ones. There are four Share Burial events in Springfield per year. If Jacksonville began a Chapter, there would only be one event. Participating hospitals combine remains in a small casket donated by a participating funeral home. The cemetery opens and closes the graves, and keeps the records of the group burial from the beginning date to the last date of those who are buried and reports that to the State of Illinois. The hospital Chaplain would then send notice to the families of those being buried and a brief memorial is held. If there is a desire to have a Chapter in Jacksonville, then materials will be provided to assist in the process when dealing with families in need. The pathology department at Passavant would send the remains to Springfield to autopsy or investigate the tissue, then return the remains to Passavant for storage. Ms. Kelly would then escort the remains and paperwork to the funeral homes. An agreement needs to be established outlining the details of the program. Jacksonville Monument has offered to provide some type of monument for the graves.
Supt. Pierson would like more clarification on how to report these burials to the State. Reporting more than one burial in the same space could become problematic. Chair Moore feels it is imperative to put in the agreement what the City’s reporting requirements would be in order to avoid any confusion or problems in the future. Chair Moore will work with City Attorney Dan Beard to ensure that the agreement is all- encompassing. Ms. Kelly read through the requirements to be outlined in the proposed agreement:
♦ Discovering how the reports of the individual burials are delivered to the State of Illinois and how the Cemetery Department lists those burials
♦ How documentation would be maintained both with the Cemetery Department and with Passavant Area Hospital
♦ Under what name are the tissues recorded
♦ A rough draft of some type of agreement for Share Burial services or establishment of our own organization to keep burials and documentation local
Chair Moore will be forwarding a draft copy of the Rules and Regulations booklet to each Board Member for consideration and discussion at the next meeting. He continues to work on the one-page handout. Brief discussion ensued. Any comments should be directed to Chair Moore prior to the next meeting.
With regard to the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Jacksonville Cemeteries and the State of Illinois, Supt. Pierson feels a beginning rate of $11,000 for the first year plus 10% increases annually thereafter would be sufficient to cover salaries and expenses relating to maintenance of Immanuel East, Immanuel West and Immanuel South at Diamond Grove Cemetery. Chair Moore is opposed to signing another 5-year agreement with no increases and feels $11,000 is low. Should the State not agree to incremental increases, Chair Moore will determine what the cost would be at the end of the 5-year agreement with the 10% increases and begin with that figure, keeping it consistent through the term of the contract.
NEW BUSINESS: No discussion.
ADJOURNMENT: Hearing no further business, a motion was made by Newby, seconded by Scott, to adjourn the meeting at 9:25 a.m. By voice vote, motion carried. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Jacksonville City Cemeteries Board will be held Friday, December 20, 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/2019/11.15.19.pdf
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