Fairview Cemetery Advisory Board Meeting

City of Bastrop Cemetery Advisory Board Meeting March 25, 2015 4:00 p.m. City Hall Council Chambers 1311 Chestnut Street Bastrop, Texas 78602 The Cemetery Advisory Board met in a regularly scheduled meeting on March 25, 2015 at 4:00p.m., in the Council Chambers of the City Hall at 1311 Chestnut Street, Bastrop, Texas. Cemetery Board members present were Terry Sanders, Carl Spooner, Ted Schaefer, Mary Williams and Jerry Woehl. Staff in attendance was Karla Stovall, Tracy Waldron, Zana Jones, Trey Job and David Rosas. I. Call to Order Board Chair Terry Sanders called the meeting to order at 4:05 p.m. II. Announcements. The following announcements were made: Carl Spooner said that the United States flag needs to be replaced. Terry Sanders asked if it is possible for David Ramos, the Cemetery Grounds Keeper, to be responsible for getting the flags replaced as needed since he is out there daily. Karla Stovall answered that Mr. Rosas will be responsible for monitoring the condition of the flags. Mr. Spooner reported that he once again observed a car in the Cemetery early on a Sunday morning on the hill in the Historic section. III. Public Comments. There were no public comments. IV. Approval of minutes from the Cemetery Advisory Board meeting held on October 24, 2014. Jerry Woehl made a motion to approve the minutes as written. Motion was seconded by Mary Williams and carried unanimously. V. Discussion on the costs of plots purchased by persons that are not residents of the City of Bastrop. Terry Sanders shared that the main issue is that the cost of purchasing a plot is currently the same for people living in the City as it is for those not living in the City; he added that a council member and the Mayor brought this to his attention since City taxes fund the Cemetery. Karla Stovall responded that City taxes do not flow into the Cemetery budget to pay the expenses; the Cemetery is responsible for its own revenues and pays for its own expenses. Carl Spooner asked if there are restrictions that prohibit the use of City tax revenue for the Cemetery. Ms. Stovall replied that she was not aware of any and she explained that in the event there was no Cemetery fund balance, funds would be transferred in from the General fund. Mr. Sanders said that the council member and Mayor were under the assumption that some support was contributed by the City for Cemetery operations and that is the reason they feel that there should possibly be different purchase prices for plots. Karla Stovall identified “City Staff” do assist with the operations of the Cemetery, but the majority of Staff time is paid directly from the Cemetery fund.  Ms. Stovall provided the results of a review of the costs of purchasing plots in cemeteries operated by the City of Smithville and City of Georgetown. Smithville charges $750 per plot for persons on the tax roll and $1,500 for those outside of the City; the City of Georgetown charges $1,325 per plot for residents within the City and $1,575 for non-residents and they have also built in maintenance and administrative fees and fees for opening and closing the grave and setting headstones. She added that one advantage of increasing fees is that there will be more money in the fund balance to allow for looking at property to purchase as well as increasing the level of service. Mr. Sanders asked what the fund balance is for purchasing property is at this time. Ms. Stovall reported that the projection for the end of this fiscal year was to have a fund balance of $159,000. Jerry Woehl asked that a special meeting be held to discuss increasing the costs of cemetery plots. Terry Sanders would also like to include discussion of options of purchasing land in the meeting. Karla Stovall said that a special workshop will be set to discuss possible land purchases and plot prices in other communities. She added that purchasing land is a component that will need more research to set plot costs appropriately. VI. Discussion on possible road paving projects in the Cemetery. Karla Stovall said that at the November 15, 2015 meeting a discussion was held on possible road paving projects. She asked for the Boards input on which roads need paving so that cost estimates can be obtained. Trey Job, Director of Public Works, discussed the areas that he assessed that needed repairs including building a road base, stabilizing and paving for approximately $110,000. He also provided a cost estimate of $35,000 using emulsion. Terry Sanders inquired about the cost for using crushed limestone on the roads. Mr. Job responded that it would be less costly up front, however it would be more costly long-term due to required maintenance. Ms. Stovall said if the Board is in agreement, she will have Mr. Job finalize the numbers on road repairs and include the costs in the FY 2016 budget. VII. Discussion on changing the time for future Cemetery Advisory Board meetings. Karla Stovall reported that when setting the time for this meeting, the question was brought forth as to whether the meeting time could be moved to later in the evening such as 5:30 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. She shared that she and her staff are open to whatever time the Board would like to meet and that historically it has always been 4:00 p.m. Ms. Stovall asked if the Board would like to keep the meeting time at 4:00p.m., or open for discussion setting a new time for the meetings. All Board members present were in favor of keeping the meeting time at 4:00p.m. VIII. Informational update to Board, by Staff, on matters related to the Fairview Cemetery operations and maintenance. David Rosas reported that everything is going fine and is working hard to keep up with the mowing. Karla Stovall reported that Wesley Brandon, the City Engineer, has started platting different sections of the Cemetery to assist us. He has just started surveying and once he produces a map it will be shared with the Board for review. IX. Discussion, consideration and possible action on setting the date and time for next Cemetery Advisory Board meeting(s.) Special Budget Workshop meeting was set for Wednesday, April 15, 2015 at 4:00p.m. X. Invitation for input from Board Members related to issues for possible inclusion on the next Board meeting agenda. The following items will be included on the Special Budget Workshop agenda: Increasing plot costs and creating differentials for residents of the City and non-residents Permitting fees Benchmarking plot costs to allow for land purchases Discussion of potential properties for purchase XI. Adjourn Jerry Woehl made a motion to adjourn at 5:00p.m. Motion was seconded by Ted Schaefer and passed unanimously. APPROVED: ATTESTED: __________________________________ __________________________________ Terry Sanders, Chair Mary Williams, Secretary