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CEMETERY COMMISSION 2013/01/16 MinutesThe City of Lake Forest is subject to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Individuals with disabilities who plan to attend this meeting and who require certain accommodations in order to allow them to observe and/or participate in this meeting, or who have questions regarding the accessibility of the meeting or the facilities, are required to contact City Manager Robert R. Kiely, Jr., at (847) 234-2600 promptly to allow the City to make reasonable accommodations for those persons. LAKE FOREST CEMETERY COMMISSION MEETING LAKE FOREST CEMETERY GATEHOUSE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2013, 5:00 P.M. MEETING MINUTES I. ROLL CALL, CALL TO ORDER: 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, Amy Schuetz and John Greene; Robert R. Kiely, Jr., Secretary Treasurer; and Staff Members Mary Van Arsdale, Director of Parks and Recreation; Chuck Myers, Superintendent of Parks and Forestry, and Phil Alderks, Cemetery Sexton. Also attending was Tony Hoban from William Blair and Company. II. WELCOME NEW CEMETERY COMMISSIONER AMY SCHUETZ: Chairman Silvester welcomed and introduced new Cemetery Commissioner Amy Schuetz to the Commission. III. CONSENT AGENDA: Commissioner John Greene motioned to approve the October 17, 2012 minutes with corrections and to approve the Sales Report. Commissioner Grace seconded the motion. The Commission then voted unanimously to approve the Consent Agenda. IV. THIRD QUARTER INVESTMENT REPORT FROM WILLIAM BLAIR AND COMPANY: Tony Hoban from William Blair introduced himself to Commissioner Schuetz and briefly presented some background information regarding William Blair and the Cemetery’s Investment Fund. Mr. Hoban stated that even with the threat of the ‘fiscal cliff’ looming, the quarter was generally positive. The Cemetery’s asset distribution has remained relatively unchanged as we are invested for growth and appreciation. The Combined Accounts for the calendar year 2012 ended with a balance of $3,739,447 up from $3,647,279 on September 30, 2012. Mr. Hoban explained that there were no major changes to purchases or sales over the quarter. Following discussion on the general state of the economy and markets, a motion was made and seconded to receive the Financial Report which was approved unanimously. V. CEMETERY UPDATES: A. Update on the Ravine Management Plan: Phil Alderks shared that staff had received a draft copy of the Ravine Management Plan from Conservation Design Forum (CDF), but had not had a chance to review the document with CDF. Alderks said that staff will review the document and meet with CDF and have a completed document ready for the April meeting. Commissioner Greene stated that since we are spending so much money on restoring the ravines he still would like to see some way for the public to access the ravines. Sexton Alderks said that the idea was not really practical in most cases because of the depth of the ravines and the steepness of the slopes. Alderks added that the cost to do this would be great and not really be appropriate to the Cemetery’s main purpose. Alderks said that there are opportunities from above to create views into the ravine for visitors to enjoy. Superintendent Myers offered that access to the ravines was an interesting idea, but most experts would say that part of protecting the ravine ecology would be to keep people out of them. Director of Parks and Recreation Van Arsdale expressed that it would be interesting to find the opportunity in the community where residents could experience the ravines. Commissioner Grace agreed with Van Arsdale’s statement and said that she was not convinced that the Cemetery is the right opportunity for such access. VI. APPROVAL OF FY2014 BUDGET: Phil Alderks presented the FY2014 Budget to the Cemetery Commission. Alderks explained that the $917,692 request included $250,000 of Capital Improvement Projects which when subtracted out leave an operating budget request of $667,692. This request for the Operating Budget is below the Budget Target Number of $825,525 which was approved at the October Commission meeting based on the Conservative Base Revenue Projection. Alderks reiterated that $200,000 of the proposed Capital Improvement Project monies is a placeholder and would only be spent if the Cemetery secures grant money to restore the ravines. Commissioner Grace motioned to approve the FY2014 Budget of $917,692. Commissioner Greene seconded the motion. Following a brief discussion regarding the operating budget and capital budget, the Commission voted unanimously to approve FY2014 Budget. VII. MISSION STATEMENT FOR THE CEMETERY COMMISSION: Chairman Silvester reviewed the mission statements that were submitted to Sexton Alderks with the Cemetery Commissioners. Discussion followed as to what each Commissioner thought the responsibilities of the Cemetery Commission were and discussion ensued about what should be included in the Mission Statement. Secretary – Treasurer Robert Kiely offered to take the draft Statements that were submitted and the ideas discussed at the meeting and have a City staff person craft one mission statement using the drafts and email the ‘combined’ Mission Statement to the Cemetery Commissioners for review. Chairman Silvester agreed and Sexton Alderks will email the draft statements to the Office of the City Manager and then forward the ‘combined’ Mission Statement to the Commissioners once he receives it for their review. VIII. OTHER MATTERS: None. IX. CITIZENS’ OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS CEMETERY COMMISSION: No citizen comments were made during this meeting. X. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting adjourned at 6:30 pm.