CEMETERY COMMISSION 2013/04/17 MinutesCEMETERY COMMISSION MEETING
LAKE FOREST CEMETERY GATEHOUSE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2013, 5:00 P.M.
MEETING MINUTES
ROLL CALL, CALL TO ORDER:The meeting of the Lake Forest Cemetery Commission convened at 5:00 p.m. at the Lake Forest Cemetery Gatehouse. The following members were present: Chairman
Colin Silvester; Commissioners Ginny Grace, Prue Beidler, Amy Schuetz and John Greene; and Cemetery Sexton Phil Alderks. Also in attendance was Tony Hoban from William Blair and Company,
Maureen Egan from Conservation Design Forum and Ann Whipple from Whipple Communications Consulting.
CONSENT AGENDA:Commissioner Grace motioned to approve the January 16, 2013Cemetery Commission minutes and to approve the 4th Quarter Sales Report. Commissioner Schuetzseconded the motion
and the Commission voted unanimously to approve the Consent Agenda.
FIRSTQuarter Investment Report from William Blair and Company:Tony Hoban from William Blair presented the Investment Report to the Commission.Hoban said that currently the fund is 86%
equities and 14% fixed income since the bond market is performing so poorly. Hoban believes this to be a good position until the bond market changes to which the Cemetery Commission
agreed.
Hoban said the major concern over the next 3-6 months is a repeat of the market action of the last 3-4 years; a strong start to the year for the market followed by a significant sell-off
during the spring and summer. One week into the new quarter, recent economic data on employment and consumer confidence has halted the rise in markets as investors try to determine if
this is the beginning of a trend or merely a blip. Hoban said that we can’t make that call with great confidence but they think a redux of the swoon of the last few years is possible
but less likely, particularly with the engagement of so many government policies in support of “risk assets.”
Hoban informed the Commission that George Grieg, the portfolio manager for our Blair International Fund, will be retiring at the end of the year. Hoban wanted the Commission to know
this so that there were no surprises. He also said that it is customary that when a new manager comes in that they go ‘on watch’. Hoban said that with the new manager, the Commission
should keep an eye on the performance of the fund.
Chairman Silvester thanked Mr. Hoban for his report and the work he’s done on behalf of the Cemetery investment fund. Silvester stated for the record that the Cemetery Fund was at 2.8
million dollars when Wm. Blair was hired in August of 2008.
CEMETERY UPDATES:
Ravine Management Plan – Maureen Egan of Conservation Design Forum (CDF) presented the Ravine Management Plan to the Cemetery Commission. Ms. Egan explained the protocol behind preparing
the Plan and reviewed existing conditions of the Cemetery ravines. Ms. Egan then went over recommended solutions and how those were determined based on cost and best practices.
Chairman Silvester asked the question, ‘Where do we go from here?’ Sexton Alderks said that the next step would be to use the Ravine Management Plan to begin to apply for grants. He
said that there are a few in particular that we can target such as the GLRI grant and the Army Corp of Engineers 319 grant. Ms. Egan stated that at this time, there has been no information
from the State of IL on the GLRI grant, but she will continue to monitor that grant and schedule. She stated that the 319 grant deadline is sometime late summer and that we should apply
for that one. Chairman Silvester thanked Ms. Egan for CDF’s work and her presentation.
APPROVAL OF AMENDED FY2014 BUDGET: Sexton Phil Alderks presented the amended FY2014 Budget to the Cemetery Commission for approval. Alderks said that the budget that was approved at
the last Cemetery Commission meeting was based on an old salary spreadsheet. Because of this, the FY2014 Budget was off by approximately $5,500.00. Alderks said that because the Commission
approved the budget and now the numbers have changed, he wanted to inform them and reapprove the updated budget numbers for FY2014.
John Greene motioned to approve the amended budget and Prue Biedler seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE CEMETERY COMMISSION: Chairman Silvester introduced Anne Whipple, of Whipple Communications, and explained that she would be helping the Commissionfinalize the
Cemetery Commission Mission Statement. Ms. Whipple thanked Chairman Silvester and explained the purpose of a mission statement and gave an overview of the process. Ms. Whipple said that
the mission statement should define ‘who you are’ and also be an action statement.
The Commission then reviewed their progress to date on the statement and the ‘draft’ statement that Ms. Whipple proposed as a starting point from the earlier mission statement submissions
by the Commission members. Members discussed wording and agreed on the following mission statement:
It is the mission of the Lake Forest Cemetery Commission:
To safeguard the remains entrusted to us by establishing and fairly enforcing the policies governing the Cemetery’s use, ensuring its financial integrity, and enhancing the beauty of
the Cemetery site and natural resources for current and future generations.
Commissioner Biedler motioned to approve the Lake Forest Cemetery Commission Mission Statement which was seconded by Commissioner Greene and passed unanimously.
RESOLUTION OF APPRECIATION FOR GINNY GRACE AND JOHN GREENE: Commission Chairman Silvester read the Resolutions of Appreciation and presented them to Commissioners Grace and Greene. Silvester
thanked them both for their faithful service to the Cemetery and wished them well in their future endeavors.
OTHER MATTERS:None at this time.
CITIZENS’ OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS CEMETERY COMMISSION:No citizen comments were made.
ADJOURNMENT:The meeting adjourned at 7:15 pm.