City of Jacksonville Cemeteries Board met Nov. 18.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
The regular monthly meeting of the Jacksonville City Cemeteries Board was called to order at 8:32 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 Linda Brown, Tom Newby, Gerald Scott, Vicky Scott, Pat Robson; Treasurer Mary Fergurson; City Clerk Skip Bradshaw; Superintendent Doug Moore. A quorum was declared.
AGENDA: Motion was made by Newby, seconded by G. Scott, to approve the November 18, 2022 Agenda as presented in advance. By voice vote, motion carried.
MINUTES: Motion was made by G. Scott, seconded by V. Scott, to approve the October 21, 2022 Minutes as presented in advance. By voice vote, motion carried.
FINANCE:
a.) Treasurer’s Investment Report – October 2022:
A three year $50,000 Certificate of Deposit (CD) was purchased October 24, 2022 earning an interest rate of 3.30%. The equity market continues to be volatile, but October was a good month for equities as there was quite a bit of recovery in security valuation. The aggregate portfolio balance at the end of October was $1,179,792.89. The Money Market brokerage accounts had a balance of $55,992.98 at the end of October in the cemeteries fund and in the land and buildings fund. If the Board wishes to make a slightly longer term investment from the money market account, there are some good CD rates for 6, 9, and 12 months. The Federal Reserve Board continues to raise short-term interest rates and it is anticipated that there will be another ¾% raise in December, 2022. Inflation is still running in the high 7-8% range so even though short-term investments are up, investments are still losing 5% to inflation. The next maturity is scheduled for January 17, 2023 in the amount of $100,000.
Chair Brown asked why the Baird Aggregate Bond Fund does not have a set maturity rate. Treas. Fergurson explained that these are fixed-income bonds rather than equities, and that the Fund is comprised of several fixed-income maturities. Rates have been running at 2.50-3%. Equities, which are stocks, are listed at the bottom of the page, and fixed income investments are listed at the top.
Chair Brown asked why the Land & Building Fund balances are different between the Cash Receipts Report and the Treasurer’s Investment Report. Treas. Fergurson explained that there are two Land and Building Funds. The Land & Building Investment Report as indicated on the Cash Receipts Report (brokerage account) is comprised of all investments held in the Berthal Fisher Money Market Account, which currently has a balance of $71,654.60 (includes the Vanguard Bond of $19,930.98 as shown on the Treasurer’s Investment Report), and the other account is a City Cemetery bank account at CNB which has a balance of $5,408.92 at the end of October. Treas. Fergurson recommended investing a portion of the Berthal Fisher Money Market account in a longer-term short-term CD if it fits within the Land and Buildings plan.
Motion was made by V. Scott, seconded by Newby, to approve the Treasurers Investment Report. By voice vote, motion carried.
b.) Cash Receipts Report – October 2022:
Chair Brown gave a brief overview of the October Cash Receipts Report noting that the operating fund cash balance is $172,919.08 as opposed to a balance of $121,764.40 at this same time last year. The current Money Market Account is at $12,965.54. The current Year to Date revenue balance is $375,317.93 (5.22% available) and the Year to Date expenditure balance is $301,148.27 (31.08% available) at the end of October.
c.) Cash Receipts Report and Claims Approval – October 2022:
Motion was made by Newby, seconded by G. Scott, to approve the Cash Receipts Reports and to pay claims when funds are available. By voice vote, motion carried.
SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT: Supt. Moore reported on the following:
✠ Flowers for planting in 2023 have been ordered. The City received an 11% discount because the order was placed prior to November 1st. Supt. Moore ordered 1,749 flowers for next years plantings at $.42/ea. Brief discussion ensued regarding the types and placement of the flowers.
✠ Cleaning and organizing of the greenhouse at Diamond Grove Cemetery has been done in preparation for next years plantings.
✠ Winterizing has been done and mulch has been placed.
✠ The Capital Improvement Budget and the Operating Budget for 2023 have been submitted to CC Bradshaw. Most of the Operating Budget remains the same as 2022.
✠ A Wreaths Across America Ceremony is planned for December 17th at 10:00 a.m. at Williamson Funeral Home. Supt. Moore would like to know if family members will be placing the wreaths themselves before the ceremony begins to help transition to placing of the wreaths as easily as possible.
There has been previous discussion regarding a new facility for East Cemetery to use as storage and as a new office space to use when dealing with potential customers. Chair Brown would like to see that purchase come to fruition in 2023.
Discussion turned to issues surrounding the purchase of a new columbarium for Diamond Grove Cemetery. Chair Brown expressed her displeasure with the way the situation was handled and feels the purchase of a columbarium may hinder the purchase of a new facility in 2023. She does not feel there is a need for a new columbarium at Diamond Grove, but feels a new facility and the securing of land is more important. Supt. Moore explained that $100,000 was placed into the Capital Improvement Budget for a project at Diamond Grove Cemetery that did not happen. Because of that, $12,500 was instead used to finish existing roads. Supt. Moore discussed his options with the City Clerk and Mayor for use of the remaining funds and his sole purpose of addressing the Council was to ask for permission to use the remaining $87,500 on something other than its original intent. If the Council agreed, Supt. Moore was planning to present the options for a new columbarium to the Cemetery Board, thereby removing that purchase from the five-year plan. Delivery of the columbarium would take almost a year so it could be 2024 before any sales would be made. CC Bradshaw reminded the Board that part of the Land and Building Fund was to be used for the purchase of a new building at East Cemetery. He feels that the purchase of the building and the renovation of the new section at Diamond Grove Cemetery should be done in 2023 using those funds.
Chair Brown again reiterated that items involving the Cemetery Department should be presented to the Cemetery Board before addressing the Council. Supt. Moore then talked about the type of columbarium, the cost, and its placement at Diamond Grove Cemetery. He recommended purchasing the 112 niche octagon columbarium for a greater opportunity on return of investment. General discussion ensued. Motion was made by G. Scott, seconded by Newby, to approve the purchase of a 112 niche octagon columbarium for placement at Diamond Grove Cemetery, payable in December 2022. By voice vote, motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENT: No discussion.
OLD BUSINESS:
Regarding the request from an individual looking to purchase previously sold but unused plots near his family plot at Diamond Grove Cemetery, Supt. Moore was recently contacted by the Maddox family indicating their interest to sell their remaining spaces in their lot to the private buyer. Supt. Moore will facilitate a connection between the two parties so they can work out the details.
Related, Supt. Moore spoke briefly with CA Beard regarding the Hebron abandonment process for unused spaces with regard to questions raised regarding the retrieval of previously sold spaces. Under that contract it is noted that those plots have never been used, there were no burials or markers put in place. By comparison, the City does have usage and markers on the plots in question. Supt. Moore is waiting for CA Beard to clarify as to whether or not that makes a difference in our process. Chair Brown was under the impression that the Board’s decision was to deny this request. Supt. Moore confirmed that the decision was headed in that direction, but no formal action has been taken.
NEW BUSINESS: No discussion.
ADJOURNMENT: Hearing no further business, a motion was made by Newby, seconded by Robson, to adjourn the meeting at 9:27 a.m. By voice vote, motion carried. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Jacksonville City Cemeteries Board will be held Friday, December 16, 2022, 8:30 a.m. in the Commission Room at the City of Jacksonville Municipal Building.
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