Fairview Cemetery Advisory Board Meeting

City of Bastrop Cemetery Advisory Board Meeting July 26, 2012 4:00 p.m. City Hall Council Chambers 1311 Chestnut Street Bastrop, Texas 78602 I. Call to Order. Chairperson Terry Sanders called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m. Board members in attendance were Carl Spooner, Ted Schaefer, Mary Williams, Jerry Woehl and Joel Reed. Staff members attending the meeting were Karla Stovall, Tracy Waldron, Zana Jones and Trey Job. II. Announcements. There were no announcements. III. Discussion and possible action on the Cemetery Advisory Board’s May 24, 2012 minutes. (pages 1-3) Carl Spooner moved to approve the May 24, 2012 minutes as written, seconded by Mary Williams and carried unanimously. IV. Discussion and possible action on Grant Funds that the Historical Society has for the Fairview Cemetery. Item was tabled at the January 26, 2012, April 26, 2012 and May 24, 2012 meetings. (page 4) Discussion was held regarding grant funds the Historical Society has for the Cemetery. Terry Sanders reported the funds to be approximately $6,000 which is left over from the construction of the gazebo. The Historical Society would like to dedicate this money to be used for historical endeavors, one being the placement of a headstone and dedication ceremony in the Memorial section honoring the only Bastrop police officer ever killed in the line of duty which occurred in the 1800’s. Carl Spooner recommended that this be put on hold until the Memorial Section is complete. Jerry Woehl inquired as to what amount of the $6,000 is available for use in the Cemetery and suggested that maybe some of the funds should be used to erect a fence around the Memorial Section. Terry Sanders asked that this item be tabled until the Memorial Section is complete and until he finds out what amount of the $6,000 will be available from the Historical Society. V. Discussion and possible action on City of Bastrop Ordinance No. 2012-13. (page 5) Discussion was held on complying with Ordinance No. 2012-13. Karla Stovall, Director of Finance, explained that the ordinance which was adopted by the City Council on June 26, 2012. She presented the current assignment of Board member “places” on file with the City Secretary. Board members drew “lots” and will serve the following terms as drawn: Terry Sanders – 3 years, Carl Spooner – 3 years, Mary Williams – 2 years, Ted Schaefer – 2 years, Jerry Woehl – 1 year, and Joel Reed – 1 year. Carl Spooner moved to accept the Board places and terms as drawn, seconded by Mary Williams and carried unanimously. Board members presented their letters requesting reappointment to the Cemetery Board to be given to the City Secretary for submission to the Mayor. VI. Discussion and possible action on recommendation of approval of City of Bastrop Ordinance No. 2012-XX amending City of Bastrop Ordinance No. 2010-27. (page 6) Discussion was held on amending Ordinance No. 2010-027 and approving Ordinance No. 2012-XX. Karla Stovall explained that City Manager Mike Talbot had questioned as to whether cemetery “perm care” funds could be used to purchase land. After researching this issue and seeking the advice of an independent auditor, she determined the following: 1.) Only interest from funds held in certificates of deposit transferred to the City from the Cemetery Association can be used for care of the Cemetery. 2.) A portion of the sale of cemetery plots is being held separately in a “Permanent Care” fund. 3.) There was no contractual agreement between the City and Cemetery Association and/or persons purchasing cemetery plots since the City took ownership operation requiring a portion of the sale proceeds be designated for “permanent care” and prohibiting funds to be used for land purchases to expand the cemetery. 4.) Funds totaling $185,266.25 should have been designated as “Operating” funds and not “Permanent” funds. Karla Stovall asked the Board to consider approving her moving the $185,266.25 identified as “Permanent Care” to the “Operating” fund and submitting to the City Council for approval and adoption the revisions to Ordinance 2010-27 designating the entire $1,000 from the sale of each cemetery plot to be deposited in the Operating Fund. Jerry Woehl moved to approve moving the amount as designated to the “Operating” fund and submitting the amendment to the City Council for approval and adoption, seconded by Carl Spooner and carried unanimously. VII. Discussion and possible action on the Cemetery Grounds Care and Maintenance Contract. Discussion should also be made on the grounds care and maintenance of the undeveloped block in the Cemetery. (page 7) Discussion was held regarding maintaining Forrest Chalmers as the contractor for the Cemetery grounds care and maintenance for another twelve months as specified in the agreement. Discussion was also held on whether or not to include the section of the cemetery that is currently undeveloped as part of the contracted area. Public Works Director Trey Jobs indicated that Public Works staff can shred the undeveloped section monthly. Mary Williams moved to approve offering Forrest Chalmers the opportunity to submit a quote and if reasonable to extend the Cemetery Grounds Care and Maintenance Contract with the no change to the area for another twelve months to cover the period from October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013, and for Public Works to maintain the undeveloped section, seconded by Ted Schaefer and carried unanimously. VIII. Discussion and possible action on determining the size, eligibility for use, developing rules and regulations for operation of the Memorial site. (page 8) Discussion was held on developing the Memorial site. Terry Sanders asked that this item be tabled until the next meeting so that the area could be marked off again and Board Members can provide their ideas on basic guidelines for use of the site. IX. Discussion and possible action on report back from City Manager Mike Talbot regarding the appraisal of two tracks of land along State Highway 95 that adjoin cemetery properties on which he is in negotiations with the owner; and as to whether he identified properties for sale on the north side of Cedar Street. Item was tabled until the next meeting since Mike Talbot was unable to attend. X. Public Comment. [ Note: By law, the Board cannot include undertake discussion or take any action on Public Comments received at the meeting, but can: (1) recite Board/City policy on the points raised and/or (2) place items on upcoming agenda for both discussion and action at that upcoming meeting.] There were no public comments. XI. Discussion and possible action on setting dates and times for next Cemetery Advisory Board meeting(s). After discussion, the next meeting was set for August 23, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. XII. Discussion and possible action to determine if there are any items a Board Member would like to place on an upcoming Agenda. No items were mentioned. XIII. Adjourn. Carl Spooner moved to adjourn the meeting at 5:01 p.m., seconded by Ted Schaefer and carried unanimously. APPROVED: ATTESTED: ________________________________ _______________________________ Terry Sanders, Chairperson Mary Williams, Secretary