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The cemetery district board of trustees met Tuesday, February 4, in a special meeting to amend its regular meeting time and pay scale, to discuss its vehicle auction, and to talk about the new Whiskey Flat Days tours of the Old Cemetery, President’s Day Weekend.
The Kern River Valley Historical Society plans on conducting historical tours at the Old Cemetery. Times of the tours are Saturday, February 15 at 1pm, with a second tour at 3pm, and another two will be held Sunday, February 16, with one tour at 11am and another at 1pm.
The cemetery district board of trustees voted to amend its bylaws so that the board could move its regular meeting time to the second Tuesday of each month at 9am. The reason for this change was a conflict of schedules. Trustees Kat Barnum, Kathy Agapiou and Mike Ryan all agreed on this vote. Trustee Esteban Olivares was not present during this particular meeting.
The board voted for allocations to the budget. Chairman Ryan stated, regarding the district financials, "The budget, that was laid out, was laid out in advance. And there's been expenditures that weren't foreseen in that budget. So the recommendation is for the allocations. We need to make a motion so that they're legally brought into the budget.” Barnum motioned for the vote. Agapiou seconded the vote. The trustees all voted in agreement to pass this motion.
The third thing the district voted on was that the compensation, of the trustees for meetings, would be increased, and it was also increased for special meetings.
All three trustees voted in agreement on the issue.
District manager Orion Sanders told the board of trustees that the district sold the tractor the district auctioned, for $3901, because the bidder bid one dollar over. The truck they were still auctioning had an offer of $1100. The district was waiting to see if the bidder followed through on the purchase. The district was still selling, by bid, the Ford Escape. Ryan asked Sanders if the district could put the vehicle out, with a for sale sign on the boulevard. Sanders said that the vehicle has to go through a bid process because it is government property. The district can lower the bid if it chooses to. Because the board
already voted to sell the vehicle, the district did not need for the board to vote to lower the auction selling price.
The district found an account that was a deferred maintenance account, which had $30,000 in it. The district planned on moving the money back into the general account because it was never used for that purpose.
Sanders reminded the board that the district needed to work on finding a new truck. Sanders was looking into whether the county has a way to purchase a vehicle at a better price. Sanders thought they could probably use that $30,000 toward the purchase of a new truck for the district for hauling debris and branches off the cemetery. The $30,000 was originally money for a FEMA project the district wanted to do in 2017. But it was never used for the project. Since it came out of the general fund, administrator John Blythe was looking into whether or not the district could move the money back into the
general fund.
Sanders said he had been using his own personal vehicle for hauling but it had been getting repaired.
Sanders had an interview with a person to hire for a finance position with the district, and once the position is filled the district was planning to decrease Blythe's work in that role.
The district has been clearing the old cemetery site, for the Whiskey Flat Days tours, of the historical section, which the Kern River Valley Historical Society would be conducting. During clean up, at the cemetery, the team found the parts of nine sitting benches to repair and kits for some other benches that the district never used. So Sanders said the district plans to put some benches, at the old cemetery that employees plan to chain down preventing theft, and enabling seating for visitors.
The grounds keeper Reno Shadden has been trimming trees on the cemetery grounds. Sanders said some things were in such disrepair, before Shadden and Sanders were hired because of the lack of continual maintenance. Sanders said putting off repairs causes it to cost more money, in the long run. If the district had kept up with repairs all along, the district wouldn't have had to pay as much. And Sanders said even with the district’s financial audits, it ended up costing more, because they were put off.
Both Trustee Agapiou and Chair Ryan expressed appreciation for the work that has been done. Ryan said the public has been complimenting the work, which the team at the district has done, and the pride the team has taken in fulfilling its responsibility at the cemetery.
Sanders said he appreciates the compliments but is also happy to listen to positive and constructive criticism that the district can use to improve the site.
The next meeting is Tuesday, February 11, at 9am.
