Cemetery Comm Mtg Sept. 26, 2011

Town’s of Mountain, Doty and Riverview
Cemetery Committee Meeting     September 26, 2011

Minutes

The meeting was called to order by Chairman Uecke at 7:00pm at the Doty Town Hall. Roll call was taken with Chairman Uecke (Mountain), Dick Booth (Riverview), Jenifer O’Brien (Doty) as well as John Vandenlangenberg (Sexton) present. Town of Mountain Deputy Clerk, Laura Anderson, is also present to record minutes. Motion to approve the agenda as posted September 21st, 2011 by O’ Brien. Seconded by Uecke. Motion carried. The Pledge of Allegiance is said.

Minutes of the Cemetery Meeting from April 18th, 2011 were available for review. Motion to approve by Booth. Seconded by Uecke. Motion Carried.

Sextons Report: Sexton John Vandenlangenberg reported 11 burials, 9 cremations and the selling of 13 lots already for the 2011 season. He also stated that the sign at the cemetery will need to be either replaced or maintained, the Solar light appears to be not working and there has been no vandalism so far this year. Booth will check into fixing the solar light. The walk through the cemetery postponed from previous meetings occurred and all the dead tree branches have since been cut. John continued to report the sheds are getting rotted and will soon need attention and also a fresh coating of paint. He also reported that the little lawnmower is about 12-13 years old and has been having a multitude of mechanical problems. He said it would need to be replaced sooner than later.

Burial Costs:  Discussion into the opening and closing costs of burials. John indicated that it does take a significant amount of time to prepare and finish a burial. Right now we do not charge anything for opening and closing costs. John researched other cemeteries and funeral homes and reported back that they range anywhere from $25-$150. Motion by O’ Brien to apply a $30 opening and closing fee to burials pending approval by the Town Boards. Seconded by Booth. Motion Carried.

Budget Workshop: The Committee discussed raising or lowering the 2012 Cemetery budget. It was agreed upon to keep the budget the same from last year. Each town will budget $2,000 for the Cemetery.

Other Business:  Discussion reopened about the little lawnmower needing to be replaced. Because it will need replacing in the next 2-3 years the Committee decided to budget for the future need. O’ Brien will look into receiving donations and fundraisers. While it is uncertain how much money can be raised, the committee agreed that there will need to be a budgeted amount of money to help cover any costs for the new mower. Motion by O’Brien, Seconded by Booth, for the Towns to place $500 a year into a contingency fund for the sole purpose of purchasing a new lawnmower. The $500 will come out of the $2000 each Town is already budgeting. Motion Carried.

Other business also brought up that the cemetery is quickly running out of burial plots. It may be time to start looking into buying more land as there are probably only about 100 plots left to sell. The sexton will also research how much surrounding cemeteries are charging for plots. We are currently charging $100 and are by far the cheapest cemetery in the area.

Motion to adjourn by Booth. Seconded by O’Brien. Motion Carried. Time is 7:59pm.

Respectfully submitted for approval by,

 

_____________________________________
Laura Anderson
Deputy Clerk, Town of Mountain

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