Moffett Cemetery Inc.

Board of Directors Meeting

July 13, 2024

 

Note: Due to more than a two-hour backup of traffic on the Milton-Madison bridge on July 10th several board members were unable to reach the regularly scheduled meeting, therefore it was moved to Saturday, July 13.

 

Meeting was called to order by President at 1:30pm (members present: Mary Childress; Christine Green; Jan Hill; Darlene White).

Annoucement: Annual meeting set for December 2024

No Secretary report was given due to not locating the minutes for May 2024. Motion to dispense the reading was made by Jan, second by Christine – motion passed.

Treasurer Report given by Christine. General Acct Bal $50,028.15; Savings Acct: Bal $2149.12; Tree Fund Bal $315.00. This was from 4/25/2024 to 5/10/2024.  Report for 5/10-Jun 2024 as follows: General Acct Bal: $47,195.17; Savings Acct: $2449.12; Tree Fund Bal $315.00.  Motion to accept Treasurer Report made by Darlene, seconded by Jan - motion carried.

There were 3 burials in May - 4 in June. 4 plots were sold.

Old Business: Renovation of old gate still not completed - Fence update was tabled until completion Motion to table it was made by Christine; Second by Mary – motion carried and was passed.

Cleaning of grounds discussed. Old flowers from previously new graves should be done within one week-10 days.  Motion made for it to be like this by Janet, seconded by Darlene. Motion passed.

Markers for Veterans Graves was tabled until Sept meeting.

Regular meetings will be held monthly instead of bi-monthly due to wording in the by-laws for the cemetery. Motion made by Mary, second by Christine – motion passed.

New Business:

There were additional CD’s (Certificate of Deposit) purchased.

Board Position will be discussed in an Executive Meeting. (Pam Edwards submitted her resignation due to her health).

Report of corner stones being placed without the board’s approval. If any are put in the wrong place, the board has the right to remove them.

Discussion of a new cell phone for the cemetery. President and Treasurer will go to purchase a new one with different carrier.  The monthly service will be taken out of the treasury from the bank. Motion made by Darlene, second by Mary. Motion passed.

Motion was made by Christine to have annual meeting (report) in December, second by Mary – motion passed

We the board will no longer have zoom for the meetings (after the current subscription expires) unless an outside individual wishes to pay for it. Motion made by Mary, second by Christine – motion carried

Mary made motion for the Ancestry investigators to attend a regular meeting and put their request in writing for what is needed by them. If they are unable to do that, they can go to the historical society (in Madison) to look for it, second by Christine – motion carried.

Motion to adjourn meeting made by Darlene, second by Janet – motion passed. Meeting adjourned at 2:40pm.

 

Next meeting: Aug 14, 2024 at 5:30pm at the Milton City Hall.

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Moffett Cemetery, Inc

Monthly Boad of Director Meeting

May 8, 2024 – 5:30pm

Meeting was called to order by Janet Hill, President – all board members, Mary, Christine, Darlene, Pam were present

Announcements: Mary will be stepping down from the secretary office in June after fulfilling the first year due to conflict and health.

Secretary Report: Was given, motion to accept made and passed

Treasurer Report: Was given, motion to accept made and passed

Burial report: was given – 6 burials in April, and 1 grave sold

Old Business:

The area to be cleared and sprayed has been too wet too anything.

Old Gate – Pam spoke to the people at Iron Works and they said we would need 8 gas-welders in order to work on the gate. The gate is 20 ft long, not including the post on each end. Darlene spoke to Travis with K&G and will meet with him at the cemetery to get more information concerning renovations.

Fencing – got estimates not including the area where the renovated gate would be placed. We have a donor that will match other donations up to a total of $1000.00 when we decide to get the fence. Motion was made to table the fence until we know about placement of the old gate and better determine the style the fence that should be erected – motion passed.

Financial: Taxes have been filed – no taxes are due – but paperwork must be filed each year.

Legal Update: Still waiting on a decision from the judge – the judge does not have a timeframe

Cleaning grounds: When people are at the cemetery if they see graves that need soil and/or grass sowed they can contact us and we will get this done – we will sow grass seed again in the fall.

New Business:

One of the ladies that does ancestry investigations has paperwork on how to get markers for veteran’s graves that have no headstone. We need money to do this and will need donors. She reported to Christine that there are 218 veterans in the cemetery – unsure how many of these will need headstones – appears most already have one. There are some graves in the overgrown area but cannot determine how many until the areas are cleared.

Monthly meetings: Motion was made to have meeting every other month starting now and next meeting being in July – Motion was made and passed (This motion has been rescinded due to wording in the by-laws)

Mr. Tingler is our mowing service and will check with him on our status (contract) – for mowing schedule/services for this year.

Motion was made to adjourn the meeting, passed. Meeting adjourned.

Next meeting will be July 10, 2024 at Milton City Hall, Milton, Ky at 5:30pm.

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Moffett Cemetery, Inc

Monthly Boad of Directors Meeting

April 10, 2024 – 5:30pm

Meeting called to order by Janet Hill, President. All board members present.

Announcements – none

Secretary Report – correction in Feb. burial report made.  Minutes were read, motion to accept made and passed.

Treasurer Report: Report was given and report on purchase of CDs made – motion to accept made and passed

Burial/grave Report: March and April – March 3 burials; April 2 burials with one cremation

Old Business:

Met with Mr. Fletcher to spray and deal with weed and overgrowth – he is licensed – Board members walked the property line with Terry Willis, Mr. Fletcher and Eric Leach from the shed going east and turning north (this is the overgrown area) to the northeast corner and across the north end (end closest to the river). Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Leach estimated to clean and spray the area on the east from the south end to approx. 2/3 the way north would cost $5000 or less but all the debris will need to be removed before this can be done and weather conditions will affect the progress.  There is a lot of trash in this area including old tires, wheels; graves decorations; etc.  There is also a large sinkhole in northeast corner of the cemetery and at least two smaller ones across the north end.

Old gate – Pam reported she is having difficulty reaching anyone at the places she has contacted. Darlene reported Mr. James no longer has one of the businesses and it is now called K & G. She spoke with Mr. James’s son about the gate and he said he would be glad to try and help. Pam inquired about getting the Boys Scouts with the Kentuckian area to help on projects like the Eagle Scouts do before graduating. She will try to get more information.

Fence – waiting on second estimate

We now have federal non-profit status – we can now apply for grants – limited to cemeteries. It appears a lot of these require matching funds so we will still need to raise money for those types of projects. Donations can now tax deductible.

We now have a draft of a map from the spreadsheet created from the ledgers and the documentation done from physical measuring and recording of every grave/grave space in the cemetery. There is still work to be done before it is completed but the goal is to have it done by June.

Moffett General Budget: - (attached to minutes) – The budget does not have an income estimate due to no historical data available and documentation of income for less than a year.

The ledgers for the cemetery have little, or no information regarding dates of purchase; purchase prices; if paid in full, or balances and if a balance nothing indicating if it was ever paid. There are close to 2000 entries in the ledgers.

Taxes will be filed in the next one-two weeks – Christine is working on this with our tax person.

Legal Update – court still has case pending

New Business:

The Rules and Regulations booklets are on the side of the shed and available for anyone that wants a copy.  Will continue to monitor and refill as needed.

Mowing season has started – clean up needs to be completed on the east side – it’s been too wet to finish. In clean up from the storm/tornado – there were two trees with major damage – volunteers cut and cleaned the downed limbs. Five headstones were blown over and a sixth had come unglued and turned.  Morgan and Nay replaced all these at no cost to the cemetery.

If you see graves needing soil or grass sowed, please notify us so we can take care of this. We can fill the graves that need additional soil any time during the year, but we will only sow grass in the spring and fall since we have no way of watering it as much as it would require at other times during the year.

Comments/Questions:

Comments concerning behavior during funeral service at cemetery, we need to inform the funeral home there are rules and regulations about being respectful to people during these times.

Gina Thomson spoke about their family headstone that had been damaged during the tornado – she has someone that can help repair it and she mentioned the memorial bench she has ordered it for her family area.

Pam spoke about when people are doing ancestry research that they not to remove other stones or items from where they are found – if they are in the wrong place this needs to be brought to the attention of the board and addressed through them.

Motion was made to adjourn the meeting – passed.

Next meeting is May 8, 2024, 5:30pm at Milton City Hall.

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Moffett Cemetery, Inc

Monthly Board of Directors Meeting

March 13, 2024 – 5:30pm

Meeting called to order by Janet Hill, President, all board members were present

Announcements: Darlene White is the new member of the board of directors

Sectary Report: The minutes were read, motion was made to accept, carried and passed.

Treasurer Report: given, motion made to accept, carried and passed.

Grave/Burial report was given

Old Business:

Starting the process to clear overgrowth and debris - Have estimates from Eric Leach Excavating Company and will meet with them and the person that can spray weeds, etc. to find out more about what can be done.

Old Gate – Darlene stated that we might be able to contact James Welding to possibly help with refurbishing the gate. Estimates from Doug Helton with Iron Works and prices given (as much as 6 to 8 thousand dollars). Pam commented that we have not responded back to Iron Works and suggested some alternatives including doing some of the work ourselves – she will contact them to see if this could be an option to reduce price estimates.

Estimates on fence on either side of the gate – for rail fencing will be around three thousand dollars – Need to get specifications on property lines – possible to get donations toward the fence or some kind of funding when non-profit approved. Terry Willis could be a member consultant on the gate project. Janet Hill motioned to table any decision on the fence until additional estimates could be obtained – motion carried.

Presently – appears to be 418 graves with no headstones – still working on locating and identifying these using information from several sources. Also, there are headstones on graves that are not in any documentation (237 with no documentation).

Financial – there was documentation provided that any taxes were ever filed for the cemetery – we will file taxes and start records for the cemetery (cemetery is exempt from paying taxes but still required forms to be filed).

Christine and Janet are working on the yearly budget. Board members have been purchasing their own supplies and there are no records of past budgets. Currently expenses are approximately $24,000 a year but there are no records to assist on estimate annual income.  (Budget will be posted as separate document).

Discussion on purchasing CD’s (Certificate of Deposits) – Interest rates are currently much higher than checking or savings accounts – German American Bank has 5.1% on 9 month CDs.  Pam motioned to purchase five, $5000 from the general account and two, $2000 CDS from the savings (perpetual) fund. Motion carried.

Legal Update – the case dealing with the $10,000 payment to Mr. Lytle is waiting on a ruling from the judge.

New Business:

Headstones – it was brought to our attention that there are three headstones in the wrong place. Pictures taken around 2012 show where they should be – will look into getting them put back in place.

We announced a new board member – Darlene White – she lives in Kentucky and had served on the Milton City Council. Darlene has knowledge of the cemetery and will be a great asset to the board.

Spring Cleaning – Board members have started picking up debris and dead brush, flowers that have blown off graves; etc.  Most decorations have no information as to where they belong – depending on the condition of the decorations they will be placed in front of the shed for reclaiming or discarded.  Need to identify graves needing additional soil and sow grass on those needing it - depending on weather conditions. Terry Willis donated several bales of straw to help with this. Pam mentioned that if names on the headstone is put on flower saddles we will do our best to return them to the proper place.

Roads has separate funds – we need to contact those people about any road conditions needing attention

Comments/Questions:

From Zoom – Gina Thomson spoke about a memorial bench to put on their family gave lots, some of which include 8 babies – The memorial bench was approved by the board. She suggested we could post on Trimble County Page and reach out about helping with graves to identify names and locations of those without headstones.

Motion to adjourn the meeting was made and caried. Next meeting April 10, 2024, 5:30pm at Miltion City Hall.

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Moffett Cemetery, Inc

Board of Directors Meeting

February 14, 2024 – 5:40pm

 

Meeting called to order, Janet Hill, President

Board Members Present: Christine, Pam, Janet, Mary

Announcements: None

Secretary Report – Minutes were read for January motion made to accept – carried and passed

Treasurer Report – was given, motion was made to accept – carried and passed

Burial/Grave Report: one on Jan 4, 2024

Old Business: Dec minutes – motion was made to accept after correction was made – motion was made – carried and passed

1). Rules and Regulations: Box is now up on shed next to window – pamphlets are now available for information to people visiting and the lot owners for the cemetery

2) Clearing the overgrowth – we are aware there is some graves in the overgrowth – and some without headstones. Eric Leach is giving an estimate to clear the whole area. Cost is $750 dollars for 8 hour day – could split into up to 4 hour increments if needed to complete. Equipment-Labor and Miscellaneous expenses - $100 and hour – overall approximately $8750.00

Terry Willis showed the property line to board members – found some headstones in the overgrowth for Margaret and James Wise.  The “survey map” from 2012 doesn’t match 100% to the ledgers. The overgrowth covers more area than the board was aware of – Hopefully we will get the no trespassing signs put up in the next week.

Old Gate – Ideas on what we could do with it, refurbish or have removed as scrap metal, incorporate sign as part of the fence we want in the future or Iron Works would help install it as a historic sign angled on the side of the shed on hill near the entrance. Pam commented that there are also more options. Need to get estimates or find ways that would support the costs, could have a fundraiser to help.

Motion was made by Janet Hill to establish the Old Gate Renovation Project Committee. Motion passed. Could possibly get history on the gate from the James family who made the gate.

Have received some recommendations for the board vacancy seat, have not voted on yet. We are reviewing all candidates and their information.

264.00 dollars was donated to pay for the Moffett Cemetery Web Page for registration fees.

New Business:

Need to complete the budget for the year and have it cover and include current issues (costs).

It has been about six months since filing for Non-profit status and it is still pending.  Suggestion made to look at possible grants for improvements once approved. Pam suggested investing some funds to provide income for the future to support the cemetery needs in the future. Motion was made to complete the budget by April 2, 2024; motion passed.

Comments/Questions:

Gina Thomson recommended: Greg and Debbie Perry to get information on the gate; Would like to have the camera during the Zoom face the board during the meeting (camera was tilted in wrong direction); and if people wish to remain anonymous during the meeting they should be allowed to do so, and asked what kind of equipment would be used during the cleaning of the overgrowth: and they (Thomson’s) will possibly use Serarcy Monument Company to put one up in their family lot.

Motion was made and passed to adjourn the meeting – motion passed – meeting adjourned.

Next meeting will be March 13, 2024 at 5:30pm at the Milton City Hall.

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Moffett Cemetery, Inc

Board of Directors Monthly Meeting Minutes

January 10, 2024   5:30pm

 

Janet Hill, President, called the meeting to order; Janet, Pam, Christine, Mary board members present.

No announcements.

Secretary Report:  minutes read from previous month and was tabled for possible corrections.

Treasurer Report: Was read and motion (to accept) was made, carried, passed.

Burial Report – given – no burials for Dec 2023. Motion made (to accept) carried, passed

And zoom set up is no complete

Old Business:

Box to put on shed with pamphlets (Rules and Regulations) – need to put up box and sign beside it to inform people weather permitting.

Mapping Cemetery Update: got bright orange stakes to help the layout of the cemetery, west and east rows at present – so far: the different sections of the cemetery will have permanent markers for locations.

Update: approximately 2000 headstones so far identified in new ledger (after 1950) approx. 75-100 graves to determine the locations and identify – there are many that have no headstones – still looking at old ledgers: will ask Johnny Mack – he could possibly help

Question asked: will we get something to identify the graves with no headstones? Response: there are several ways we would have to look into this and discuss it – using old ledger and book available.

On Burial Book – Christine gave report – still researching and cross-referencing old ledgers and others from funeral homes – trying to find names and burial site identifications.

On Clearing the Perimeter: no response back from Utterly Stump Service.  Will ask Ohio Excavating Service for a bid on east side of cemetery to clear overgrowth and brush.

New Business:

A vacancy on the board is open – we accepted Paul Muck’s resignation of his seat due to work conflict.  Recommendations will be accepted thru January 31, 2024 deadline; contact thru email, P.O. Box, call a board member – all recommendations submitted will be reviewed and voted prior to February 14, 2024 meeting.

Starting to review graves that had been “reserved” but no payment has been made or just partial throughout the years and some multiple graves and identify – will need to investigate into it more.

Pam spoke: these graves that was called “reserved” – there should be a time limitation on complying to pay them in full – no payment plans.

Jan 25, from 10am – 1pm there will be a webinar from the Kentucky Cemetery Association.

A letter was sent to the cemetery about solar panels being put in the area

Judy Finke is the administrator of the cemetery Facebook page.  Someone was upset about getting to post or not.  Due to the rules and regulations established – they need to understand this is set up for information – and issues are addressed at monthly meetings.

Judy is administrator appointed by the board – she will inform the board about issues and the board will go by her decision in dealing with Facebook page.

Nomination was made for Diane Sharber and Terry Coffin for the seat on the board – (Terry would not be eligible) he is not a lot owner and will not qualify.

Mr. Stephenson asked about a decision on the old gate – and it was tabled till more information needed on it.

It was suggested to incorporate the gate back into the cemetery. We are open to suggestions but there is no money at present to deal with it (the old gate). Possibly contact Greg James who built it and see what he could suggest.

Motion made by Pam to adjourn the meeting, second by Christine – motion passed. Next meeting will be February 14, 2024, 5:30pm at Milton City Hall, Milton, Ky

 

 

Moffett Cemetery, Inc

Board of Directors Monthly Meeting Minutes – November 8, 2023

 

Meeting called to order by Janet Hill, President – board members Janet, Christine, Pam, and Mary present.

Announcements: Zoom is set up and ready

Report of previous month’s minutes read Sept was tabled for corrections, Oct was carried and passed

Treasurer Report for Sept and Oct was given – motion was made to accept – carried and passed

Grave and Burial report given

Old Business: Rules and Regulations ready to print pamphlet – completed

Old Books update – were taken down to Madison Jefferson
County Museum for history preservation

Map update – where the water line is located to the meter – water company will not clarify location but we can locate and mark ourselves.

Section M update – spoke to Eric Leach – what could be recommended – he would possibly have 3 triaxles of dirt and topsoil added to smooth over area and would create new grave lots.  Mr. Stephenson had suggestions also – we need further details and need to have a meeting (with Eric) before next month.

We have spreadsheets set up for the mapping of the cemetery, will hopefully be done by next meeting.  Ther are graves there that are not marked.

Christine is going thru the burial records from all the books at funeral homes – there are names that have no markers or headstones. Hopefully we will be able to identify and match up with the old ledgers in order to map.  Goal is to have markers for any graves that we know who is buried in that grave.

Non-profit paperwork is mailed and waiting for response.

We need to keep track and record all volunteer hours of work being done.  If (form) needed for cemetery call us and will try to take care of it (getting a volunteer form to anyone volunteering hours)

Signs – no trepass signs are ready to post – Terry (Willis) said he would help us put up after deer season.

Judy Finkle – face book page administrator going thru guidelines and rules for information and updates – negative comments will not be addressed – must submit complaints, questions, and concerns to the board in writing or come to the meeting for either side to remove conflict.

New Business:

Address to clear brush, old trees, and overgrowth before it encroaches on the graves and areas for potential new graves.  Need agenda for meeting with Erice (Leach) needed.  Mr. Stephenson has experience with this type of work and could help with advice how to proceed – and possible grant could help (to pay the costs).

“Udderly Stump Removal Service” called and is willing to give an estimate – they do churches and cemeteries and gives discounts.

(not yet) but need to start a portfolio in investing for enough money to maintain perpetual care the cemetery.

The timer on the gate has been changed for winter hours and corrected for proper closing time (times are posted at the front gate)

Mower service is done for the season.

Need donations for perpetual care fund and could get a tax deduction under our non-profit status.

Open forum and summary:

Going over items we said we would do and updated progress

Mr. Taylor said he could paint and do repairs on the shed at the cemetery

Comment by Pam Welsh about the tree pushed over the hill

Motion to adjourn made – 2nd and carred – passed

Meeting adjourned 6:30 pm – Next meeting December 13, 2023 at 5:30pm, Milton City Hall

 

Treasurer Report (Oct 26 – Nov 22, 2023)

General Account Balance: $68,582.46; Savings (Perpetual) $3347.91; Tree Fund $315.00

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Moffett Cemetery, Inc

Oct 11,2023 – Monthly Meeting Minutes

 

Meeting called to order by Janet Hill- members present – Janet, Christine, Pam, Mary.

(The City Hall Building was locked, and we were unable to reach anyone to come and unlock it so we had a short, stand-up meeting in the parking lot. Due to this the reading of the minutes and the treasurer report were left until the November meeting)

There was no reading of the minutes at this time per the request of the President.

For our new pamphlet, light blue paper – motion was made and passed to use light blue paper.

Pam checked on the info about preservation of our old books.  Historical Society in Madison, located at the Railway Train Station Museum, will take care of the books at no charge and will keep them at the History Center.  Motion was made to turn the books over to the Historical Society for preservation – carried and passed.  (The original books will be returned to the cemetery board if at any time they are not wanted)

Signs for no trespassing to set up boundaries on four corners of the cemetery – motion made, carried and passed – for liability.

Judy Finkle will oversee our facebook page

There was no Zoom meeting this month due to technical issues.

Motion was made to adjourn – 1st and 2nd - passed.

 

Next meeting: November 8, 2023, 5:30 pm at the Milton City Hall

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Moffett Cemetery, Inc

Sept 14,2023 – Monthly Meeting Minutes

 

Meeting called to order by Janet Hill- members present – Janet, Christine, Pam, Mary.  Secretary read minutes of last month. Motion made to pass – carried and passed.

Treasurer report was read and report attached. Motion made to pass – carried and passed.

Old Business: got the tree cut down- tree service used was several hundred dollars less than others.  The cost was $1500.00.  Paul Muck will clear up the wood and dispose of it.  Need volunteers to help – will take a while to clean up.

We received comments regarding the by-laws.  Comments submitted were reviewed and it was determined that none were significant enough to have changes made.  Comment on who is eligible to vote suggested the by-laws include wording regarding “life partners”.  The board considered this as falling under the term “spouse” and would not question the vote of anyone that considered themselves as a “spouse” or “life partner”.  At the time there are other updates needed the board will keep in mind the update to this verbiage.

Comments for Rules and Regulations were submitted and considered: Took out the wording that a headstone had to put up within a year; added benches cannot encroach upon other people’s lots and the owners of the benches are responsible for the care of them.  Terry Willis spoke about the graves at the back of the cemetery with only markers. The Rules and Regulations will be printed as a pamphlet and sent to the local funeral homes and be available to everyone. The speed limit for the cemetery is 5 miles per hour.  Need to get a sign posted. Rules and regulations were voted on – motion passed to accept changes and complete the Rules and Regulations.  The pamphlet will be made and distributed as quickly as possible.

The new deed format is ready to use when graves are purchased, and any board member can sign the deed.

Video conferencing – there are free options available but they have a limited amount of time and our meetings require a longer time.  Zoom is $150.00 a year and meets our needs.  Motion made to use Zoom for a year – passed. We will have it ready for the next meeting.

Gardner insurance will get with us on possible carrier for us and research insurance options.

Non-profit status is completed and ready to file.  The cost is $600.00 to file.  Having non-profit status will open doors to getting grants to help with all the things the cemetery needs including tax deductible donations.  Motion was made to pay for the filing of the non-profit application – passed.

New Business: Meeting date changed to Wednesday 5:30pm at Milton City Hall.

Need to sow grass early in spring or late October for the best results. There is grass seed in the shed. Mr. Leach will fill in any graves that need additional soil if we let him know when we find them.  We have volunteers willing to help with doing this.

There is a monument cleaning class at Springdale cemetery in Madison this coming Saturday – anyone can attend.

Terry Willis suggested we check on getting a Boy Scout troop to help with some of the things we need to have done at the cemetery.

 

Suggestions about getting a trust with cemetery money created for future. We have spoken with an investment firm and need to determine what annual expenses will be before we start any kind of investment account. We are working on a budget to determine this.

Terry Willis suggested we look into a mausoleum for Moffett and a possible shelter where the shed is now that would have an office space. He also asked about trash from the cemetery being dumped on his property.  The board agreed that any trash on his property can be put in the cemetery trash.  If it is not removed by the trash pick-up we will make arrangements to dispose of what is there. Other discussion included the possibility of getting fencing for the front of the cemetery; options for current little building on-site; and how to map the cemetery and filling in areas in the cemetery that need dirt and can be used as graves in the future.

Motion was made to adjourn, carried and passed.

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Moffett Cemetery, Inc. – Board of Directors
Monthly Meeting – August 10, 2023 – 5:30pm
Janet Hill called the meeting to order. Board members present Janet, Pam, Christine, Mary.
Announcements: we received our certificate of membership from the Kentucky Cemetery Association
July 2023 minutes read and approved.
July 2023 Treasurer report given – approved.
Old Business:
Janet inquired about having cemetery surveyed and estimates – only one company responded and will not give us any information until after the middle of September if we are still interested.
Started Tree Fund - Received donations for Gingko tree. Work on Gingko tree is done, and it appears to be in good health. Will use excess money in Tree account for other tree needs. There is a very large, decayed tree that the State Arborist recommended we get removed as soon as possible. Raise the Bar tree service estimated $3500 to cut and remove the tree, two other companies contacted did not have the equipment to do the job and waiting on estimate from Pike Tree Service.
New Price List reviewed – motion to approve 2nd, and passed. Will be effective as of Aug 15, 2023. Burial Service Fee is for the perpetual care fund.
Business letter including the by-laws, monument specifications and new price list will be mailed to funeral homes and monument companies.
By-laws were passed at Executive Board Meeting, have been recorded at the Bedford County Clerk’s Office. It was brought to the attention of the board that the by-laws had not been posted for review on the face book page – they are available and comments/questions will be accepted by mail – must be post-marked by Sept 5, 2023.
Copy of deeds – we have samples to use to prepare a new deed for Moffett. Will have a draft done for approval at next meeting.
Priority list reviewed – Gingko tree completed; by-laws passed; non-profit status close to completion.
Made copies of the survey map from 2012 to help with documentation of the cemetery. Will start documenting the sections in the next week.
New Business:
A board member, Ken Thomson, resigned and resignation accepted.
Paul Muck is a candidate to serve on the board. Motion made to accept Paul 2nd, passed. Paul accepted.
Discussed posting a public notice, per legal advice, requesting proof of ownership from 2012 to present (deeds, receipts, cemetery records, cancelled check, any type of proof) since there have been multiple instances of the same graves being sold to multiple people and burials occurring in the wrong grave. Need to decide what kind of timeframe to allow – was suggested anywhere between 60 days and 6 months. Will need to post this at the cemetery, newspapers, website, face book pages in several communities, any other form of communication available. Motion made 2nd, carried. Will need to look in to expense prior to posting.
Video conferencing discussed – all the free ones have a time limit and will not accommodate the length of an hour plus meeting. Will research other options. Also need someone to volunteer to oversee this during the meetings.
Edward Jones Investment Firm – Christine Green (Treasurer) and Jan Hill (President) met with a financial adviser and got information on doing safe investments to grow the money in the perpetual fund. The adviser stated it would take approximately a million dollars to make the cemetery self-sufficient for all future generations. We need to determine an approximate annual budget prior to starting investments – this will take a few months to determine average expenses/income. When investments started there are two different options for paying the firm – will review at time of initial investments.
Discussed insurance for cemetery – will meet with Gardner Insurance on Aug 15, to get more information.
There was a request to buy back two graves from a person who does not live in the area any longer and will not need these. Will research. Tabled to next meeting.
Open to comments/questions: Question about price of graves when bought back by cemetery – There is a law that states: A grave can only be sold for the same amount that it was purchased no matter who buys the grave. This is so an individual can’t buy all the graves then sell them for a large profit.
Motion to adjourn – passed. Next meeting September 14, 2023 5:30pm Milton City Hall