Clearwater Cemetery District

CLEARWATER CEMETERY DISTRICT Clearwater Cemetery District Board Meeting March 14, 2024 6:30 PM, City Hall 1. Call to Order Board Member Erwin called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. 2. Roll Call Burt Ussery, Clearwater Mayor and Tim Erwin, Ninnescah Township, David Loos, Ohio Township, were present. The following city and staff members were present: Courtney Zollinger and Mike Weakley. 3. Approval of Agenda Ussery asked to add Property Adjustment Discussion to the business section of the agenda. MOTION: Ussery moved, Loos seconded the motion to approve the agenda as modified. Voted and passed unanimously. 3-0 4. Consent Agenda a. 2-08-24 Minutes b. February Accounts Payable c. February Receipt Report d. March Payroll MOTION: Ussery moved, Erwin seconded the motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. Voted and passed unanimously. 3-0 5. Reports a. Treasurer and General Report a. Revenues YTD are at 42.5% of the budget and expenditures are at 0.8%. b. Nothing else to report. b. Secretary Report  1 burial. c. Maintenance Report  Mowing has started. CLEARWATER CEMETERY DISTRICT Loos asked when seasonal help will be hired. Zollinger answered that Weakley said to start ads in April. 6. Business a. Right of Way Easement - Sedgwick County is working on their plans to repair the bridge located at Tracy and Diagonal. With their project they are seeking an easement for a permanent right-of-way on the south end property of the Cemetery District. With their bridge project they intend to adjust the traffic from Diagonal onto Tracy by creating a “Y”. (See picture on 2nd page) Sedgwick County has offered $2,000 for the right of way easement that would be paid to the Cemetery District. The section of ground that Sedgwick County is requesting does not have any interments nor fence in the area. When it was mapped out for plots this portion of the ground was labeled as “no sale” because the ground sloped too much. CLEARWATER CEMETERY DISTRICT The Board discussed and concluded this would reduce maintenance cost and the cemetery can’t sell or use the land because it’s in a flood plain. MOTION: Loos moved, Ussery seconded the authorized Tim Erwin to sign the permanent right-of-way easement for Sedgwick County as presented. Voted and passed unanimously. 3-0 b. Added – Property Adjustment Discussion. Ussery explained to the Board that the newly acquired Hammers Prairie Park and Nature Center (HPPNC) for the city has a panhandle that sits between the main cemetery and the newly acquired section from Hammers LLC north of it. Ussery is asking the Cemetery Board would be agreeable to put a formal agreement together with the City of Clearwater and the Clearwater Cemetery District to give the panhandle to the Cemetery in exchange for a section of their property that is to the east of the HPPNC. This action, if approved, would then have the existing cemetery join with the newly acquired property to the north. (image on next page) MOTION: Ussery moved, Loos seconded entertain a formal agreement for a property exchange that would connect the cemeteries. Voted and passed unanimously. 3-0 CLEARWATER CEMETERY DISTRICT c. Other Business – No Other Business 7. Executive Session MOTION: Erwin moved, Ussery seconded to recess into executive session pursuant to non-elected personnel to discuss specific personnel matters, to include the City Administrator. The Cemetery Board will reconvene the open meeting in the Council Chamber at 7:02 p.m. Voted and passed unanimously. 3-0 Erwin reconvened the meeting at 7:02 pm and stated no action was taken in executive session. MOTION: Ussery moved, Erwin seconded for Zollinger to negotiate with Whitney Landscaping to hire them for mowing all 4 cemeteries until the end of May. Voted and passed unanimously. 3-0 MOTION: Ussery moved, Loos seconded that the Cemetery Board respond, in writing, to Mike Weakley on the restrictions received from his medical provider outlining what duties the Board will allow. Voted and passed CLEARWATER CEMETERY DISTRICT unanimously. 3-0 MOTION: Ussery moved, Erwin seconded to advertise for a year around part- time helper for the Cemetery District that will report to the Sexton with an hourly rate up to $21.00 per hour. Voted and passed unanimously. 3-0 MOTION: Ussery moved, Loos seconded to increase Mike Weakley’s hourly rate to $21.00 per hour. Voted and passed unanimously. 3-0 MOTION: Ussery moved, Loos seconded to advertise for two seasonal help employees with an hourly rate up to $15.00 per hour. Voted and passed unanimously. 3-0 Erwin explained to Weakley that the Board would like Weakley to return to work after his restrictions are released. They want to keep on the payroll to manage the properties with the help of a new part-time worker and seasonal mowers. Whitney Landscaping will be contacted to see if they would be willing to mow all the grounds through Memorial Day to ensure the grounds are manicured for the holiday. If the District can not hire suitable help for the summer nor a yearly part-time person, the Board will re-evaluate in May and decide if a third-party mower will be needed for the remainder of the growing season. 8. Comments Ussery updated the Board that he was notified that HB2626 never left committee and therefore it will not be voted on. 9. Adjournment With there being no further business MOTION: Ussery moved, Erwin seconded to adjourn the meeting. Voted and passed unanimously. 3-0 Meeting adjourned at 7:14 p.m.