Claudia Istel has been appointed by the Board of Selectmen and contacted the state’s Charitable Trusts Unit to request two copies of the Handbook for Cemetery Trustees, for herself and Kenneth Reed.

Kenneth Reed moved that Helen Frink become Chair of the Cemetery Trustees. Claudia Istel seconded the motion, which was approved.

Minutes of our November 10th, 2011 meeting were approved.

Budget and vouchers: Sexton Kris Fenderson presented two invoices, which we signed to authorize payment: Grant Tallman, $240 for mowing; and Keene Monument Company, $4340 for monument repair and for moving the stones from the Hinman property.

We also signed four vouchers forwarded to the Trustees of Trust Funds requesting a total of $1895.20 in cemetery expenses to be transferred from specific designated trust funds into the town’s general fund. Details are contained in a letter from the Cemetery Trustees to the Trustees of Trust Funds dated December 1, 2011. Helen Frink moved that we authorize this transaction; motion passed.

Helen Frink has e-mailed Terry Knowles in the state’s Charitable Trusts Unit to ask about changing a trust fund "for the benefit of the cemetery" (established in the 1990s when an informal cemetery association or cemetery committee was dissolved). Our intention is to restrict our use of that fund (now about $6,000) to drawing only on the interest. No reply has been received yet.

2012 Budget: Using a draft budget created by Sexton Kris Fenderson, we developed a budget request for 2012, asking for $16,100 to be raised from taxes (see spreadsheet attached). The major change from our 2011 budget is to request an additional $3000 for tree work. This increase will be necessary to trim or remove damaged trees from the Batchelder-Nye cemetery and from the Hill Road cemetery.

We adjourned at 5:45 PM.
We will meet next on January 26, 2012.
Minutes submitted by Helen Frink