Cemetery Board

Minutes of the Cemetery Board Meeting Tuesday, May 16, 2023 REGULAR MEETING 4:00 P.M Notice of this meeting was given to the public in compliance with Sections 10-15-1 through 10-15-4, NMSA 1978 and Resolution 23-01. A. Call to Order Vice President, Jim Bloodhart, called the meeting to order at 4:06 p.m. B. Roll Call Committee members present: Jim Bloodhart, Jeremy Hurley, and Jake Trujillo. Committee members absent: Danny Fulkerson Staff Present: Ruben Esquivel, Cemetery Superintendent, and Daisy Diaz, Cemetery Administrative Assistant C. Approval of Agenda 1. Mr. Jake Trujillo moved to approve the agenda as presented. Mr. Jeremy Hurley seconded. A voice vote was unanimous and the motion to approve the agenda for May 16, 2023 passed 3-0 with member Danny Fulkerson being absent. D. Approval of Minutes 2. Mr. Jeremy Hurley moved to approve the minutes as presented. Mr. Jake Trujillo seconded. A voice vote was unanimous and the motion to approve the minutes from April 18, 2023 passed 3-0 with member Danny Fulkerson being absent. E. Non-Action Items 3. Sexton’s Report- Superintendent Ruben Esquivel reported 31 services for April. He also stated the cemetery had lost another employee and now had four positions open. 4. Bookkeeper’s Report- Mrs. Diaz reported 4 lot sales, 1 contract, and 2 transfers for April. 5. Rules and Regulations Update- Mr. Esquivel stated that yearly decoration pick up after Christmas rule, Estate requirements, and cemetery visiting hours would be added to the rules and regulations booklet. The General Douglas McBride Veterans Cemetery rules and regulations will also be added to the booklet. Rules and regulations for both cemeteries will be in one booklet. A draft of the new additions will be made and presented at the next meeting before ordering the new booklets to have available for the public. 6. Columbarium Update- Mr. Esquivel stated the proposal to continue with the columbarium was presented to council and legal committee proposal passed, but when presented to the finance committee for final approval it was denied, as the city does not have the funds to cover the cost difference. The price for the columbarium project was at $835,039.00 before cost increased to almost 1.5 million dollars. The original amount of $835,039.00 already awarded to the cemetery will stay on hold and not to be used in any other project while the columbarium proposal is on hold. 7. Memorial Day Celebration- Mr. Hurley stated that again this year the Chavez County Veterans would be hosting the Memorial Day Celebration. Celebration will be held at the General Douglas McBride Veterans Cemetery May 29, 2023 starting at 10 a.m. F. Public Comments (None) G. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 4:48 p.m. Next Meeting: June 20, 2023