Oakland Cemetery Commission

Russellville Oakland Cemetery Commission Minutes April 19, 2016 The Russellville Oakland Cemetery Commission met for the regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, at 5:30 p.m. on the second floor in the Council Chambers Conference Room. Attending: Director Stephanie Warwick, City Attorney Trey Smith, Chairman Garland Steuber, Commissioner/Secretary Mindy Hudson, Vice-Chairman/Commissioner David Lee, Commissioner Rebecca Howell, Commissioner Anna Fields, Commissioner Patricia Petray, Commissioner Donna Eubanks, City Council Liaison Eric Westcott, Mayor Randy Horton, and visitor Sean Ingram from the Courier. Absent: Finance Director Jerry McKaughan The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by Chairman Garland Steuber.. Old Business: The First Order of Business was to review and approve the minutes from the March 15, 2016, Cemetery Regular Meeting. Liaison Westcott made a motion to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Eubanks and passed unanimously. The Second Order of Business was the monthly financial report. City Finance Director McKaughan was absent. Director Warwick noted that page one of the report shows a Total Liabilities and Fund Balance of $ 59,637.87. The Charles Schwab account shows an Ending Value on 3-31-2016 of $124,049.17. There were no comments, so this report was concluded. The Third Order of Business was the monthly Overall Operations Report by Director Warwick. 1. Operations again were smooth for the month. 2. There were two burials and several markers placed. There were also some transfers of ownership. This involves a paperwork process to keep a clear record, and so a $10 fee is assessed. 3. Three more graves dating back to the early 1900s were noted and added to the database. 4. Several requests have come and been filled to photograph headstones for family members who live out of state. There was some discussion about the North section being entered into the National Historic Register. Commissioner Fields commented that we had been told this was not possible because of the fence that has been added. Director Warwick will look into this. She is also looking into information about a group that gives grants to city-owned cemeteries. Lastly, Director Warwick reported that Mr. Jones stated that the city crew will be back to work on the new section within two or three weeks. Although there have been calls, plots in the new section cannot be sold until the road is finished. The Fourth Order of Business was a continued discussion for the first Decoration Day. The Director asked that volunteers email her about helping on Sunday, May 1, 2016, to greet and help those who come to the cemetery. Visitors will be directed in from 8th Street on Drives Two and Four and from 11th Street, in through Drives One and Three. She plans to set up a table with a canopy and have pamphlets and maps. Sean Ingram of the Courier said this event could be listed in the community calendar. The time for the event was set for 11:30 am to 3:30 pm. New Business: The First Order of Business was a request from the Director that the Commissioners approve new software for a database cloud service for cemetery records. Before hearing more about the proposal, Commissioner Hudson asked to have clarified if this cost would come from the cemetery funds after the city pays for the initial startup [as stated in the March meeting], and to clarify if there was a choice about making this decision for a change. Lyn Jacimore, IT Director for the city, was brought in to give information. She stated that the reason for a third party solution was because the city is in the process of closing down its old [2003] server. It is currently cheaper in staying current to update the website. This new program will allow pictures of headstones to be taken with an I-pad and then uploaded to the computer. The new website for the cemetery will allow people to see available plots and to find and look at headstones. Some kind of upgrade is needed because the old program is full. This site will be constantly updated. The database for plot owners and other records will be put online, which will help in keeping and looking at these records. Liaison Westcott asked how much this would cost per month. The total setup would be $2750.00 [which includes the first year monthly fee], then $1500.00 per year after that. With a five year contract, the cost would be $2200.00 for set-up [which includes first year fees] and then $1200.00 per year. Director Warwick has been looking into using advertisers to help offset the cost for the Cemetery. Liaison Westcott made a two part motion to accept the new software/database and to pay for it from cemetery funds. The motion was seconded by Commissioner David Lee. The vote passed with Commissioner Hudson abstaining from the vote. The Second Order of Business concerned Ordinance 2164 on page 5, letter C. This involves the depth required for a monument foundation. A question from a Monument company came up concerning this. The Commissioners declined to change the ordinance. The meeting was adjourned at 6:36 PM.