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Minutes 03-26-02MINUTES OF THE REGULAR CEMETERY BOARD MEETING HELD IN CONFERENCE ROOM C, WEST WING, CITY HALL, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2002 AT 7:00 P.M. Present David Nyquist, Chairman Janet Prainito, Secretary Tereesa Padgett Ods Walker Harold Blanchette, Alternate Absent John Tined, Vice Chair Teresa Frazier Jeff Livergood, Public Works Director John Wildner, Parks Director Glenda Hall, Parks Manager Mark Aniki, Cemetery Foreman I. Call to Order , Chair Nyquist called the meeting to order ~t 7:02 p.m. II. Attendance Ms. Prainito called the roll and noted that two people were absent. !2, 2002 [es of February 22, 2002. Mr. Walker ]sly. ,ets - February 2, 2002 III. Agenda Approval Not done. IV. Approval of Minutes - February Motion Mr. Blanchette moved to approve the minu seconded the motion that carried unanimo~ V. Receipt of Revenue/Expense ShE Ms. Padgett was concerned about th~ discrepancies between the figures in the Cemetery Report prepared by the Park'--s Department and the Month End Reports for the Cemetery Trust Fund. The figures did no~ match at all. Ms. Prainito will speak with Ms. Reese in Finance to try to gain an understanding of the differences between the two reports. ' Motion Ms. Padgett moved to place the report on ~ile rather than accepting it because there are some questions that need to be answere~. Mr. Blanchette seconded the motion that carried unanimously. Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 26, 2002 VI. Receipt of Sales Reports - February 2002 The figures in this report and the previous item do not match so the Board could not accept them. Motion Ms. Padgett moved to place this report on file until the Board can find out which report is correct. Ms. PrainitO seconded the motion that carried unanimously. VII. Unfinished Business A. Parks Department Report Chair Nyquist asked Mr. Aniki, Cemetery Foreman, about the hours' that were spent on cemetery maintenance for the sprinkler system and how many of the 22 hours were overtime. Mr. Aniki did not have that information at his fingertips. He explained that the City has an individual who goes to the cemeteries a couple of times a month and checks all the sprinklers, clocks, and everything to do with the maintenance of the sprinkler system. The Cemetery Board is charged by the hour for the amount of time required to perform this sprinkler maintenance. Chair Nyquist queStioned the necessity of having someone check the sprinkler system on a weekly basis and wanted to limit it to half an hour a month for both cemeteries. Mr. Livergood noted that a preventive maintenance schedule had to be prepared for the cemetery equipment. Ms. Hall did not believe it would be feasible to place a time limit on a maintenance item. At this point in the meeting, Commissioner McCray's presence was acknowledged and Chair Nyquist welcomed him. (7.'3O p. m.) Commissioner McCray understood Chair Nyquist's position, but felt that the amount of time necessary to accomplish this task would vary and that a specific time limit could not be applied to it. This was a City responsibility and the Board's robe was to Offer suggestions. Ms. Padget~ questioned why this item was put on the report and Mr. Livergood stated that they were trying to track all the costs related to the Cemeteries and while this expense occurred in the past, it was never tracked before. Ms. Padgett questioned Why it was not on the Financial Report from Diane Reese, and Ms. Hall stated !hat it sometimes takes awhile for items to post to the H.T.E. system. Commissioner McCray asked that he be given an answer on the H.T.E. question also. Ms. Hall rePorted that the flags had been ordered and are expected to be here the first week of April. The work order has been given to Facilities to make the crosses and the Cemetery crew will paint them. Ms. Padgett wanted to clarify why she had asked to hold off on the bid for the flags .the previous mOnth. She stated that she wanted to check with the American Legion and other Organizations to see if she could obtain a better price. 2 Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 26, 2002 Ms. Hall reported that they had contacted Facilities to check the wood fence around the sand holding area. They recommended that it be replaced and the estimated cost for materials and labor, with possible assistance of the Cemetery crew, would be $700. Chair Nyquist asked when Mr. Osborne would be putting up the building and she replied, "a year and a half to three years." Ms. Hall commented that she and Mr. Livergood had met with Mr. Brady Osborne at the MauSoleum to discuss the policy of allowing public expression of feelings at the MausOleum. At present, no signage changes are recommended about the policy. Mr. Livergood noted that it was a future agenda item that had been tabled to May. He stated that they had determined that the best thing to do was to follow common sense in this matter. He commented that it was a City responsibility to make sure that there were no hazardous conditions for the public at the Mausoleuml and that there was nothing in place that would cost the City more money in maintenance. Ms. Hall stated that they had given the Board the information they had gathered on double-dlepth vaults. Staff determined that when this system was initiated in another city, they put the vaults in first and brought the ground level up to them. This is not within the realm of capability for Boynton Beach at this location. Ms. Padgett didl not think that the topic should even come up until the Cemetery expansion question had been answered. Mr. Wildner thought the Board might wish to consider the alternate idea of allowing additional cremains in those graves that are allowed a casket and cremains in the same grave. B. Reports oni Cemetery Areas Assigned to Members 1. BloCks W & Y on the South Side Mr. Walker stated that the fence at the sand-holding area needs to be repaired or replaced. BloCks N & O, the area to the west, Old Section to the flagpole - David Nyq u ist Chair Nyquist mentioned that his section looked good and that Sara Sims looked pretty good also. 3. Seacrest Blvd. To building on the South Side Ms. Padgett reported that her area looked good but that it always needs trimming. 4. Mausoleum and Sara Sims Chair Nyquist already commented on this. 5. Blocks R & S Ms. Frazier was not present. 3 Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 26, 2002 Discuss Potential of Increasing the Cost of Graves and Limiting the Sale of Graves to City of Boynton Beach Residents Only. (Tabled to 3~26~02) Motion Mr. Blanchette moved to remove this item from the table, seconded by Mr. Walker, and carried unanimously. Mr. Livergood stated this his department needs some input from the Cemetery Board before they are able to complete this report. A full staff report of all costs will be given to the Board but in the meantime, they were seeking input, based on the preliminary reports they submitted to the Board. Mr. Livergood referred to a report given to the Board members previously that contained the prices charged by other cemeteries, public and private, in the area for openings and closings. There was a staff recommendation to raise fees for weekday burials to $330 and the weekend burials to $415. Those costs were based on existing staff costs for labor, equipment, and included equipment maintenance and replacement as well as various administrative fees for such things as topsoil and other materials. When they presented this report to the Board the previous month, they asked for time to conduct more research because they felt it was essential that the fees be examined in conjunction with the cost of the plot sales to make sure that the overall revenue for the Cemetery operation is paying for the day-to-day care as well as not impacting or drawing down the Fund that was set aside to maintain the Cemeteries in perpetuity. The current charge for openings and closings is $200 for weekdays. Staff has recommended raising that to $330. The charge at area cemeteries ranged from $795 on weekdays at Memory Gardens in Lake Worth to the City of Boca Raton where it is $560. Even though some of the comparables suggest that Boynton Beach should raise its rates, staff is viewing this as a fee. If they want to charge their customers only the cost of providing that service and no more, the cost for providing it is $330 on a weekday and $415 on the weekend. The Cemetery Board asked staff to look at the costs involved in the Cemetery operations. They are charging $450 per grave site to Boynton Beach residents. This compares to a Iow of $875 in Roya Palm Memorial Gardens in West Palm Beach to Boca Raton, which charges $1,910. Staff believes that cities such as Boca Raton charge two fees for the burial - one would be for the cost of the property, and the other would be for perpetual maintenance. These are billed as separate expenses. Mr. Livergood noted that the Cemetery Trust Fund has $2.2M related to Cemetery and $1.6M related to the Mausoleum. Was it the opinion of the Cemetery Board that these funds are co-mingled? He was not certain whether the Cemetery had $3.8M in total or only $2.2M. Chair Nyquist stated that the Board had asked this question many times but had never received an answer. Ms. Padgett thou§ht that the Trust Fund was one Fund for the entire Cemetery, including the Mausoleum. Ms. Prainito related that this was her understanding also. Mr. Livergood did not know if there were any legal agreements with Mr. Osborne pertaining to these funds or to the 15% that Mr. Osborne gives to the Cemetery for crypt sales. Is there any legal agreement stating that such funds must be Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida March26,2002 deposited and accounted for separately and only used for the maintenance of the Mausoleum? And, were the dollars received from the in-ground burials only to be used for the maintenance of the Cemetery proper? Ms. Padgett believes that it is all one Fund. Mr. Livergood wants to apply dollars and cents to it. Starting with the dollars in the bank today, and assuming that there are 999 more direct in-ground burials, assuming that the ongoing maintenance and operation costs remain the same, related to the fees they will charge for the cost of providing services for burials, what monies do they need to receive for the sale of plots such that when they are sold, and when the Mausoleum is full, that they have enough money in the bank, assuming a conservative 4% interest rate to maintain the Cemeteries. They will have to live off the interest. Inflationary growth will have to be factored in as well. If they have $4M and they collect 5% interest, they will collect $200K. That $200K needs to pay the O & M costs plus it needs to cover the increased inflationary costs involved. He is working with Diane Reese. They need to think about it now so the right dollar amount is set for the remaining 999 plots, Commissioner McCray stated that the State of Florida says that all Cemeteries must have enough money for perpetual care for 1,000 years. Mr. Livergood stated that this is why he was concerned. Mr. Livergood differentiated between the fee for burying people and the cost of the plots, saying that the money for perpetual maintenance has to come from the sale of the plots. Mr. Wildner stated that ten years ago the Board paid for an actuarial study to determine that question and the report was accepted by the Board. He did not know if the information was still valid. It was in the timeframe that Joe Delaney was on the Board. Mr. Livergood did not know what relevance that report might have in today's climate and its assumptions might not still apply. The financial analysis being done by Finance will help the Cemetery Board come up with the correct price for the plots. Chairman Nyquist asked if there would be any more cemeteries after the 999 plots were sold and Mr. Livergood stated that he was separating the two issues - the amount of money required for the Trust Fund and the potential cemetery expansion. Also, it was important to realize that the Trust Fund was for the maintenance of the two cemeteries now in the City, and not for any future cemeteries. The people who had purchased plots with the expectation of perpetual maintenance had not paid for it for another location. Commissioner McCray asked why Delray Beach was not included in the report, and Ms. Hall said it could be added. Chair Nyquist thought that the City of Boca was for residents only. Mr. Livergood related that the price comparisons for the plot prices were for informational purposes and that they would not drive what Boynton Beach prices will become. The needs of the Cemetery for the future will drive the cost of its plots. Mr. Livergood felt that the fees charged for Cemetery services should reflect the actual costs of providing the services, adjusted annually by inflation. Mr. Wildner stated that 5 Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 26, 2002 the prices had been adjusted every year or so. Commissioner McCray asked when the last adjustment had taken place and Ms. Prainito stated that it had been in 1998. Mr. Livergood stated that the amount Boynton Beach charges will be based on the amount of money in the bank that would produce sufficient interest to provide perpetual maintenance and care for the two Cemeteries in Boynton Beach. Mr. Liver§ood will provide the Board with the amount of money that will be required and the amount that should be charged for plots. Chair Nyquist asked if the Board should move to raise the opening and closing costs so they would not continue to lose money and hold off on the cost of the cemetery lots? Mr. Livergood thought that staff's recommendation dated February 21 was of value and that it would be entirely iappropriate for the Cemetery Board to forward a recommendation to the City Commissidn to raise the costs for opening and closings to $330'for Weekdays and $415 for weekends. Motion Mr. Blanchette moved to forward a request to the City Commission to raise the costs of openings and closings at the Cemetery to $330 for regular time (weekdays), and $415 for overtime (weekends) and staff is directed to research the potential of codifying this with a clause that there be an annual adjustment to allow for inflation. Ms. Prainito seconded the motion. The Legal Department will investigate the possible codification of staff adjusting these costs on an annual basis, taking inflation into consideration. Ms. Padgett was of the opinion that any changes should come from the Cemetery Board. Ms. Prainito clarified that the amendment had to do with the potential, not the actual implementation, of such a procedure going into effect. Mr. Livergood agreed that this was the case. A roll call vote was polled by the Chairman. The motion passed 4-1, Ms. Padgett dissenting. D. Discussion Regarding Double-Depth Graves Motion Mr. Blanchette moved to strike this item from the agenda. Ms. Padgett seconded the motion that carried unanimously. Ms. Padgett seconded the motion that carried unanimously. VIII. New Business A. Staff Report on Cemetery Options Mr. Livergood noted that this report would be given to the Board in May. He stated that this report was unbelievably detailed and that it looked at all the legitimate options from doing nothing to doing everything. Many staff members are doing research about 6 Meeting Minutes Cemetery Board Boynton Beach, Florida March 26, 2002 individual pieces of the puzzle and ultimately, they will all be drawn together in a report. They are trying to lay out all of the options as professionally and as correctly as possible. They were pleased with the way the report was shaping up and looked forward to presenting it to the Board. Mr. Livergood stated that it was their job as staff to give the Board and the City Commission all of the information. If the ball fields were relocated, the City would have financial impacts, and those impacts had to be quantified, Ultimately, the City Commission and the Cemetery Board will have to sift through the final report and considering all its information and alternatives, come up with a recommendation. They were also working With the Department of Environmental Protection to find out the well impacts. Mr. Blanchette said he had seen something that showed replacing a small ball field with a much larger ball field, and he did not think the Cemetery should have to bear the burden of such a Change. Mr. Wildner stated that they would make certain that they would compare ball fields of the same size. Mr. Blanchette stated that the only logical way to expand was to the west and Mr. Livergood stated that this was one of the options that would be included in the final report. Staff is working diligently to come up with all of the costs and impacts so the decisions can be made based on dollars and cents and accurate information. Some of the decisions will De policy, decisions for the City, but in any case, staff will provide the most complete information possible. Ms. Padgett stated she would not be able to come to the May meeting. After discussion, the decision was made to get the report to the Cemetery Board members n May but discuss at the June 28, 2002 meeting. IX. Other FutUre Agenda Items: 1) Review Proposed Policy to Allow Feelings at the Mausoleum. Public Expression of Discussed previously. X. Adjournment Since there was no further business to discuss, the meeting was duly adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Collins Recording Secretary (one tape) (03/28/02)S:\CC\WP\MI N UTES\CEMBD\032602.doc