Survey and Interview Responses

Why are you running for this office?

Dry Creek Cemetery is a jewel that can benefit from my experience navigating the operation of a taxing district. I have exercised up there for years and want to position the cemetery to be sustainable at buildout.

What are your qualifications?

Extensive experience in government operations.

If elected, what are your goals?

The cemetery needs to develop a blueprint for long term sustainability.

What experience do you have serving on boards, commissions, non-profits, etc. where you have been of service to others?

The Association of Idaho Cities, the Idaho Counties Risk management Program (provides insurance for taxing districts) board member, 4th judicial district magistrates commission member, and several other boards in conjunction with my role as mayor.

Do you consider yourself fiscally conservative?

I am fiscally pragmatic. My view is to figure out what is needed and then get it funded.

Do you consider yourself socially conservative?

Yes. Men are men and women are women, there are only two genders, the sanctity of life, marriage between a man and a woman, the family is the foundation of the nation. I could go on.

What are the primary challenges and priorities for this office?

Balancing the cost of labor with the cost of plots. No tax dollars are used for operations. Instead, the tax revenue goes to a government investment pool and draws interest. We are planning for the buildout of more plots and how to maintain the cemetery once the plot sales and services are gone. We had to eliminate the paycheck-to-paycheck mentality.

What inspired you to run for a position in the cemetery district?

I have a heart to serve. My prior experience can benefit the cemetery’s operation. I am currently the treasurer for the cemetery board. This position represents a smaller workload from my current position as mayor, and I have the time to dedicate myself to it.

How familiar are you with the specific needs of our community regarding cemetery services?

This is an historic cemetery created in 1865. Currently, we have a waiting list for plots and are in the process of creating 1,800 more. We always hold plots in reserve for immediate need, but our current expansion is based on demand. wHile the cemetery has room to serve the public for several decades into the future, strategically planning for the costs associated with the phased addition of plots is a priority. This requires good financial planning and tracking One example is watching hr trends regarding cremation versus traditional burial.

What are your top priorities if elected to the cemetery district?

We should avoid eliminating essential services as a means to reduce costs. Competitive bidding for services, such as gravesite care, will ensure optimal service at the most reasonable cost. Continuing to look for efficiencies in the opersion. maintaining a cemetery is very labor intensive and grows as the number of plots increases.

Improving customer service remains a key goal. We’ve enhanced our office service by consistently staffing it during business hours. A critical next step is to upgrade the website to provide comprehensive information, minimizing the need for in-person visits to the cemetery. The improved website will also offer transparent budget access, similar to Garden City’s bi-weekly publication of its check register (excluding salary details).

Continuing to ensure the district’s full compliance with the tax commission requirements and maintaining detailed meeting minutes.

How do you plan to address maintenance and upkeep of the cemetery grounds, especially for older sections?

There is always lots to do. Maintaining the cemetery is a massive endeavor. If a service is planned on a Saturday and a site needs attention, the staff will work on that day. Families typically clean up around gravesites when they visit, but the frequency of visits tends to decrease after a few generations. I am considering establishing a “Friends of the Cemetery” group to address this. We also need to improve communication with taxpayers, and a mailer could be an effective way to do this.

How do you plan to engage with families and communities served by the cemetery district?

We need to explore things that we are not doing. I never thought about the cemetery before I started exercising up there.

We need to set up direct communications enabled through new technology and an effective website. Inquiries are often very specific, especially around costs. By making the budget information public on the website it helps with transparency.