Oakland Cemetery Commission

K L A A N D Oakland Cemetery Commission Meeting Agenda Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers Conference Room, 2nd Floor, 203 South Commerce, Russellville, AR 72801 Welcome Old Business: 1. Review and approve minutes of the August 20, 2013 Cemetery Regular Meeting. 2. Financial Report – Finance Director Jerry McKaughan 3. A request that Finance Director McKaughan invest the Charles SCHWAB Deposit Accounts of $85,565. 4. A request for approval to remove or trim the magnolia tree #2 west of Drive1 & 8th Street. (See attachment) 5. A request for approval to remove or trim the magnolia tree #3 that is partially cut on Detroit. (See attachment) 6. A request for approval to remove or trim the oak tree #4 west of Drive1. (See attachment) 7. Update on the release from Mr. John Carpenter d/b/a Albert’s Curb Service. New Business 1. Discuss a 10% interment fee. McKaughan 2. A request from Claude Allen Hughes Family to disintern and reintern Claude Hughes, Jr. and wife Mary Hughes. Jones 3. Discuss items not on the agenda. 4. Prepare items for handoff to City Council for its October 17, 2013 Meeting. Adjourn.  Russellville Oakland Cemetery Commission Minutes September 17, 2013 The Russellville Oakland Cemetery Commission met on Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 5:30 p.m., in the City Hall 2nd-Floor Conference Room at 203 South Commerce, Russellville, Arkansas. Attending were Chairman John Harris, Commissioner Patricia Petray, Commissioner Tom Hlass, Commissioner Anna Fields, and Commissioner Mindy Hudson, Finance Director Jerry McKaughan, and Director Lequitta A Jones. Absent: Alderman Richard Harris, Alderman Steuber, and Secretary Donna Eubanks The meeting was called to order by Chairman John Harris at 5:30 p.m. Old Business: The First Order of Business was to review and approve minutes of the August 20, 2013 Cemetery Regular Meeting. Commissioner Fields made the motion to approve the minutes as written. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Hlass and passed unanimously. The Second Order of Business was the Financial Report given by Finance Director Jerry McKaughan. Mr. McKaughan gave the financial report to include the balance sheet and statement of revenue and expenditures and stated both were in order. Chairman Harris asked Mr. McKaughan it he could send a copy of the financials mailed with the minutes. Mr. McKaughan said he would. Mr. Harris said he would like to be able to review those financials before the meeting. The Third Order of Business was a request that Finance Director McKaughan invest the Charles SCHWAB Deposit Accounts of $85,565. Mr. McKaughan reported the Cemetery Brokerage Account Charles Schwab Account balance as of 08/31/2013 is $193,713.94. Mr. McKaughan said currently we have $85,566.19 in cash and we have $108,147.75 in I-Shares. Mr. Harris asked how much the I-Share Funds pays? Mr. McKaughan said it pays about 3%. Mr. McKaughan recommended that we put $80,000 in Genworth and leave the $5566.19 in cash. Mr. McKaughan said it is a 7-year fund and after the end of seven (7) years if the market was flat we would get 7%. We have the potential of 14% - 20% over a 7-year period. Mr. McKaughan said the principal is guaranteed. Mr. McKaughan said Robbie Davis is our Charles Schwab advisor and this was also his recommendation. 1 Chairman Harris asked if anyone had ever done a 5-10-20-year projection on where this account would be in five or ten years and what the City is going to have to fund over the next five or ten years? Mr. McKaughan said no. Mr. Harris asked is this something we need to be looking at or is it pretty well understood that it’s part of the operating expenses of the City? Mr. McKaughan said that is the way it is now and has been. Mr. Harris asked when you do the budget the City is going to slide in 55,000, 60,000, 65000 or 70,000 whatever is needed? Mr. McKaughan yes. Mr. Harris said then this cemetery commission does not have to worry about that because we are under the Aldermen. If they don’t appropriate the money to run the cemetery then we are in trouble. Mr. McKaughan said he went to the Arkansas Cemetery Board meeting this month. He said the State was pleased in the way we were doing things. Commissioner Petray made the motion to invest $80,000 in Genworth and leave the $5566.19 in cash. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Hlass and passed unanimously. The Fourth Order of Business (Agenda Item NB #1) was to discuss a 10% interment fee. Mr. McKaughan said we have never charged any extra in interment fees. Mr. McKaughan asked the commission to consider placing a 10%-interment fee on all opening/closing of graves to help pay for the administrative cost. The regular opening/closing is $350 which would increase to $385 and cremation is $120 which would increase to $132. The interment fees are an in-and-out cost. Commissioner Harris said this item is for discussion only so no action is required tonight. Mr. Harris asked Mr. McKaughan if this was something that Little Rock was doing? Mr. McKaughan said he asked them about it while he was down there and they said it was not a problem as long as it wasn’t out of whack. Director Jones said she would place it on the agenda for next month for consideration of approval. Mr. McKaughan said he asked the state if the city was responsible for replacing monuments. The state said no, but was required to have some type of marker identifying the person buried. The Fifth Order of Business (Agenda Item #4) was a request for approval to remove or trim the magnolia tree #2 west of Drive1 & 8th Street. Commissioner Hudson made the motion tree #2 be trimmed by an arborist in the winter or fall when it is the proper time. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Fields and passed on a 4 – 1 voice vote, for (Fields, Hudson, Petray, and Harris) and one against (Hlass). The Sixth Order of Business (Agenda Item #6) was a request for approval to remove or trim the oak tree #4 west of Drive1. Commissioner Fields made the motion to trim the oak tree #4. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Hudson and passed unanimously. 2 The Seventh Order of Business (Agenda Item #5) was a request for approval to remove or trim the magnolia tree #3 that is partially cut on Detroit. Commissioner Fields asked would the tree live if it was shaped up or has it been trimmed too much? Commissioner Hudson said it’s viable it’s putting out suckers. The arborist said there are some problems, but Mrs. Hudson said she would like to hear him talk about it again. It will probably never look good again, but it is a viable tree. Director Jones said it’s going to have to be evened up. Mr. Harris said he felt it was going to have to be all or nothing at this point. Commissioner Hudson said she would like for us to talk to the arborist again. She said she would like to have more than one ears there listening to him. Chairman Harris said the arborist that looked at it, Mr. Gibby; he concluded that it would be real hard to save long term. Commissioner Hlass made the motion to remove tree #3. Commissioner Petray seconded the motion. Commissioner Hudson said she didn’t want the tree cut down because she was over at the cemetery and noted that there was new growth. Mr. Harris said it may come to where we may have to cut the tree, but I’m not opposed to. We are going to have an arborist back in here in the next month or the next two months if we want him to look at it and get his final opinion. Commissioner Hudson said that is what she would like to do. Mr. Hlass said we need to vote on this. Commissioner Fields said she also would like for the arborist to look at it again. Commissioner Hlass said it is going to be an eyesore no matter what the arborist says. Chairman Harris said we do have a motion on the floor and a second. Mr. Harris said whether we conclude or vote on this motion tonight or after an arborist looks at it. Director Jones said we have a motion and a second so we need to vote or Commissioner Hlass would have to recall his motion and then a new motion made. Commissioner Hlass said since he is in a minority he would like to resign his position effective this moment. He said he felt like a dead limb in a tree. He said he hadn’t bought into any of this tree business. He said he was a business man and this is not the committee that he needs to be on. Mr. Hlass said he recalls his motion. He said he was out of place here and said I’ve done business and it doesn’t work like this and that is what I am use to. He said he prefers to not be on this committee. Chairman Harris asked Mr. Hlass to reconsider resigning. Mr. Hlass said here are my things I’m leaving. Chairman Harris said we accept Mr. Hlass’ resignation. Mr. Hlass said no problem with any individual it’s just I’m use to taking care of business when it comes up and not putting it off like the politicians do. Chairman Harris said he would like to table until we have an arborist look at it and give us an opinion if it’s worth saving or not. Commissioner Fields made the motion to table until the arborist can look at the tree and give his opinion. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Petray. Chairman Harris called for discussion and Commissioner Hudson said she would like to meet with the arborist also. Chairman Harris said okay. The motion passed unanimously. The Seventh Order of Business an update on the release from Mr. John Carpenter d/b/a Albert’s Curb Service. 3 Chairman Harris reported that Mr. Carpenter was still in Wisconsin working and we haven’t been able to talk to him. New Business The First Order of Business (Moved to 4th Order of Business) was to discuss a 10% interment fee. McKaughan Director Jones said she would place this item for consideration at the next meeting. The Second Order of Business was a request from Claude Allen Hughes Family to disinter and reinter Claude Hughes, Jr. and wife Mary Hughes. Jones See Page 5 Director Jones explained referring to the follow notes. 4 The Third Order of Business was to discuss items not on the agenda. See below a letter from Commissioner Hudson. The commission felt it was a great idea and thanked her. See page 6. 5 The Fourth Order of Business was to prepare items for handoff to City Council for its October 17, 2013 Meeting. - None Adjourned. 6