By Cass Rains, Staff Writer
Enid Cemetery Association ended its meeting Tuesday night at Oakwood Mall with more than half its current board resigning and members be-ing nominated to fill positions.
Association President Steve Kieffer, who step-ped down at the end of the meeting, told the more than 30 members in attendance about the association’s current situation, legally and financially.
Kieffer, a retired attorney, was named to the board and elected president in March. He found the cemetery’s 99-year incorporation expired in 1996, and the status is considered inactive and not in good standing by the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s Office.
Kieffer said the association has been paying its taxes and receiving its insurance as a not-for-profit organization.
“This is something that does need to be addressed and addressed quickly by the next board of directors,” he said.
Kieffer also discussed Oklahoma statutes governing the operations of a cemetery board, copies of which were included in the board’s agenda.
According to statutes: “They shall require a strict accounting to be kept of all monies received and expended on behalf of said corporation, look after and manage the affairs and fiscal concerns thereof, and see that all proper regulations are made for the proper conduct, maintenance and improvement of said cemetery, and shall also see that the debts and obligations of said corporation are paid as fast as the 50 percent of the gross proceeds of sales of lots, as provided by law, will permit, and shall also see that the other 50 percent of such proceeds are strictly applied to the maintenance, preservation, care and improvement of said cemetery, including the payment of the salary of the superintendent, and such other help as he may require.”
Kieffer warned previous board of directors have not followed the law.
“These are all things we have not done for the last decade,” he said. “The whole issue here is due diligence.”
Some members, including people with family buried at Enid Cemetery or those who have purchased plots that are not used, questioned Kieffer, often angrily, why previous leaders had not followed the law.
Kieffer said he could not answer those questions be-cause he was not on the board at the time.
The association’s investments are comprised of two sets of Treasury bills. Kieffer said he reviewed documentation of the sale of those bills in a two-year period to cover operating costs for the cemetery.
As of June 30, the current value of the bills was $439,000. But in a two-year period from January 2007 to December 2008, $90,000 of bills were sold to cover operating costs.
Questions were asked about who approved the sale of the assets, and again Kieffer had no answer.
“It wasn’t in the minutes and I wasn’t around at the time so I don’t know,” he said.
Kieffer said money the association did not have was being spent, which caused some of the problems for the board.
Several expressed concern for Enid Cemetery Superintendent Nancy Rahm, one going as far as to accuse Kieffer of picking on her and others citing a previous article in the News & Eagle that detailed problems with the association.
“I think you’re picking on Nancy,” one man said.
A woman commended Rahm for the job she’s done.
“We all feel like Nancy has made great improvements and strides,” she said.
Attorney and board member Steve Cameron, who also resigned Tuesday night, called it an “unfortunate meeting.”
“Unfortunately it’s turned into a Steve versus Nancy issue,” Cameron said. “I just know Steve found a lot of things that needed to be corrected and we should be thankful for that.”
At the end of the meeting Rahm addressed members in attendance and began by thanking them and Kieffer.
She said most of the problems could be attributed to a “loss of communication” for the last 12 years.
“Even back then no one knew about the incorporation status,” Rahm said. “It’s good to know the things we need to correct.”
Rahm explained the sales of the T-bills were voted on by the board and were needed during a time when there were too few funerals and operating costs could not be met.
