F-13 and public manor. See F-5 The KCD is in full compliance with CA Laws; the Brown Act and conducts regular monthly meetings that are open to the public; the KCD has completed numerous costly audits and is in process with its current audit. NA As the last SOI was conducted in 2010 and our population has changed considerably, the KCD believes that a 15 year wait for an updated SO! plan has not been helpful. The KCD Board and Staff were not interviewed by the Grand Jury and therefore not included in any opportunity to express a “desire for reimagining boundaries, consolidations; or annexations’ further with no current or close to current data and/or plans it is difficult to propose or consider new consolidations or annex new boundaries designed to increase the effectiveness of the KCD. See F-19 and F10 As the most recent Municipal Service Review (MSR) was conducted 17 years ago, the KCD looks forward to a current, updated MSR for the region to aid in reviewing all of the discrepancies and assisting with additional compliance. True, see F-4 ~ Board membership is difficult to maintain and grow; the KCD has experienced these conditions. RECOMMENDATIONS: R2. R3. R6. The BOS should implement a policy on regular communications between the various jurisdictions, including State, County, LAFCo Board, and independent CCDs to allow for freeflowing information and to prevent catastrophic events without impinging upon the autonomy of the CCD boards. The KCD is in full agreement with this recommendation. The BOS should coordinate a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with each of the CCDs to create a set of procedures and controls regarding assorted cemetery data and records. Through collaboration with County officials and the County historical commission, these MOUs could develop a streamlined and secure record storage process—either in the cloud or on a shared server—that minimizes barriers to entry, protects privacy, and offers redundancy to ensure continuity during emergencies. The KCD is in full agreement with this recommendation. Although not mandated by law, CCDs may find it beneficial to maintain a basic website to provide relevant and timely information. This could include meeting agendas and minutes, independent audits, and details about the burial process. They may also consider a social media presence to let their constituents and other public officials know what is going on in the district. This can also be achieved by integrating the CCDs' websites with the County websites on the special districts' page. Should an extraordinary event occur, CCDs should send notices to the BOS, Clerk of the Board, and County Administrator so they may be able to take appropriate action, including the appointment of new members to vacant board seats. The KCD works closely with the California Special District Association (CSDA) and learned that special districts in California have been mandated by Senate Bill 929 (SB 929) to maintain a public website 2 R7. R9. R10. since January 1, 2020. With that in mind, the KCD website (httos://kcdca.specialdistrict.org) includes specific required information like contact details, current agendas, and financial reports. Additionally, the KCD website complies with federal and state accessibility requirements, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which ensures digital content is accessible to people with disabilities. Further, the KCD has a presence on social media - this is new to the KCD and will be enhanced in the near future to include opportunities for public comment. Once again, the KCD would have appreciated the opportunity to share this information with the Grand Jury - and is one of the reasons the KCD is _ dismayed for not having been contacted. For those that have not done so, CCDs may avail themselves of membership in the California Association of Public Cemeteries or California Special Districts Association. Where resources are limited, they may consult with these groups, as well as the Golden State Risk Management Authority for best practices and strategies. The BOS and other elected and appointed officers, other CCD board members, as well as LAFCo, may provide expertise and assistance in the course of their work and/or by Offering certain services at a reasonable cost. The KCD is an active member of the California Association of Public Cemeteries; the California Special Districts Association; the Pacific Cemetery Alliance and the Golden State Risk Management Authority and is always on the lookout for new best practices and strategies. The KCD would have appreciated the opportunity to share this with the Grand Jury. The BOS needs to adopt a new SO! resolution and coordinate with LAFCo to conduct a SOI study. The KCD is in full agreement with this recommendation. Yuba County LAFCo, in consultation with the BOS, each of the CCD boards, and other County officers, should engage in a public town hall conversation about options for improving CCD governance, maintenance, and resources. They may consider creating a County Service Area (CSA) to deliver a higher level of service for public cemeteries. The KCD is in full agreement with this recommendation. The creation of an updated CSA might aid the community in the future. Once again, the KCD Board and Staff would have appreciated the opportunity to meet with the Grand Jury and as stated by KCD Staff “... if the 2024-25 Grand Jury had met with our district and some of the others, that they would not be considering ways to deliver a higher level of service for public cemeteries overall I'm sure there are reasons that the Yuba County Grand Jury selected special district cemeteries to report on during their time of service but | don't believe their research encompassed all district governing and sites. ! don't know that a County Service Area could deliver a higher level of service to our local constituents than our very local board of trustees and employees who strive to offer our best After all it was the intent of the Public Cemetery District Law that the local officials meet the diversity of local conditions and circumstances | believe we do so. But more importantly | am aware that Keystone Cemetery District is continuously striving to improve in all aspects of our district governing and operations.” R11. | Yuba County LAFCo should promptly engage in another SOI study and consider adjusting the boundaries of all the districts to account for territory not covered under the current boundaries. Yuba County LAFCo may provide a series of proposals for consolidation, annexation or dissolution of the boundaries, providing for fewer districts or centralizing resources, including a singular CCD controlled by a County-wide board that would operate all CCDs in the County. The KCD believes that the need for a new SO! Report and plan is long overdue. Further, it is our strong belief that the need for a singular CCD Board would NOT be in the interest of local communities nor of the independent CCD Boards. The diversity of this County would make it difficult to meet all of the needs of the existing Cemetery Districts and their Boards all under one banner. In conclusion, the Keystone Cemetery District Board of Trustees and Staff recognizes the effort and intent put forth by the Grand Jury in the 2024-2025 report with regards to the Community Cemetery Districts located within Yuba County. The Keystone Cemetery District Board and Staff wishes to thank the Grand Jury for their dedication and service to Yuba County residents and wishes to extend an open invitation to visit this hidden gem in the Yuba County Foothills. Sincerely, Prob 5. Pamela S. Cook, Board Trustee Patrick Streight, Board Trustee Teresa Royat, Board Trustee WHEATLAND CEMETERY DISTRICT P.O, Box 281 Wheatland, CA 95692 Telephone: (530) 633-2964 September 8, 2025 RECEIVED OcT 01 c/o Yuba County Superior Court Clerk/Board of Supervisors 215 Fifth Street, Suite 200 Marysville, CA 95901 RE: 2024-2025 Grand Jury Report: Forgotten in Death: The Decaying State of Yuba County's Public Cemeteries Recommendations Dear Yuba County Grand Jury: The Wheatland Cemetery District has reviewed the Yuba County 2024-2025 Grand Jury's Report: Forgotten in Death: The Decaying State of Yuba County's Public Cemeteries and hereby responds as follows: Recommendations: R2. The BOS should implement a policy on regular communications between the various jurisdictions, including State, County, LAFCo Board and independent CCDs to allow for free-flowing information and to prevent catastrophic events without impinging upon the autonomy of the CCD boards. R3. The BOS should coordinate a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with each of the CCDs to create a set of procedures and controls regarding assorted cemetery data and records. Through collaboration with County officials and the County historical commission, these MOUs could develop a streamlined and secure record storage process — either in the cloud or shared server — that minimizes barriers to entry, protects privacy and offers redundancy to ensure continuity during emergencies. R6. Although not mandated by law, CCDs may find it beneficial to maintain a basic website to provide relevant and timely information. This could include meeting agendas and minutes, independent audits and details about the burial process. They may also consider a social media presence to let their constituents and other public officials know what is going on in the district. This can also be achieved by integrating the CCDs’ websites with the County websites on the special districts’ page. Should an extraordinary event occur, CCDs should send notices to the BOS, Clerk of the Board and County Administrator so they may be able to take appropriate action, including the appointment of new members to vacant board seats. R7. For those that have not done so, CCDs may avail themselves of membership in the California Association of Public Cemeteries or California Special Districts Association. Where resources are limited, they may consult with these groups as well as the Golden State Risk Management Authority for best practices and strategies. The BOS and other elected and appointed officers, other CCD board members, as well as LAFCo, may provide expertise and assistance in the course of their work and/or by offering certain services at a reasonable cost. Yuba County Grand Jury September 8, 2025 - R9. R10. R11. The BOS needs to adopt a new SO! resolution and coordinate with LAFCo to conduct a SOI study. Yuba County LAFCo, in consultation with the BOS, each of the CCD boards, and other County officers, should engage in a public town hall conversation about options for improving CCD governance, maintenance and resources. They may consider creating a County Service Area (CSA) to deliver a higher level of service for public cemeteries. Yuba County LAFCo should promptly engage in another SO! study and consider adjusting the boundaries of all the districts to account for territory not covered under the current boundaries, Yuba County LAFCo may provide a series of proposals for consolidation, annexation or dissolution of boundaries, providing for fewer district or centralizing resources, including a singular CCD controlled by a County-wide board that would operate all CCDs in the County. Responses: R2. R3. R6. The Wheatland Cemetery District is in full support of this recommendation and believes that the Board of Supervisors (BOS) should provide and facilitate regular communications between the State, County, Lower Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) and the Yuba County Cemetery Districts. As it stands, while no “official” Yuba County Cemetery District association exists, our management team is frequently contacted by the various Yuba County Cemetery Districts for assistance and/or advice on personnel actions, contract solicitation and development, resolutions, conflict of interest codes, pricing and Brown Act/Open Meeting compliance as well as the digitization of burial records and maps. Many of the Yuba County Cemetery Districts have their own policies, by-laws and procedures in place. The Wheatland Cemetery District created its own policies with the aid of our former Legal Counsel; all of our policies and forms are contained in Word. We also designed our roster and mapping system in Excel. There are very specific things that are contained in burial documentation such as eligibility, pricing and burial rights, and likely each District does things differently. Some smaller Districts may not have the funds to secure whatever technology ends up being required by such a collaboration so the BOS would need to be prepared to financially assist those Districts. As for storage of our documentation in anticipation of an emergency, we store digital documentation on our password protected, encrypted desktop that is kept in our Secretary's Office with a monitored burglar and fire alarm, in the Cloud, on an external drive that is locked in our fireproof safe at the Wheatland Cemetery and one of our Trustees has a copy. We also have multiple paper copies in those same locations. We are in full support of the recommendation that Yuba County create a webpage on its website for each cemetery district. However, it should be noted that the County as well as each Cemetery District would then be bound by the Brown/Open Meeting Acts. All would be required to post meeting agendas and all supporting documentation online at least 72 hours prior to any regularly scheduled meeting; 24 hours prior to any special meeting; and as soon as possible for any emergency meeting. This level of compliance may tax the already meager resources of all parties and would actually require 24-hour access to the Yuba Yuba County Grand Jury September 8, 2025 R7. R9. R10. County Webmaster as most Cemetery Districts rely on volunteer or off-shift workers to keep operations running smoothly. Would the County provide personnel to scan all the documentation listed in Recommendation 6? Most Yuba County Cemetery Districts, including this one, do not have full-time staff, professional scanning equipment or budgetary resources to scan the list of suggested items from District formation in 1871 to date. Also, the associated expenditures with digital access to said items and the level of security necessary for webhosting would finally cripple this District and would be best born by the County. However, in the spirit of cooperation, we will explore the cost involved in developing and maintaining an active Wheatland Cemetery District website that might contain the items suggested in this recommendation. Dependent upon the expenditure involved, this may be a viable option for the future. Please note that the Wheatland Cemetery District does post our current agenda, minutes, policies, resolutions, budget, expenditures, the identity of the current Board of Trustees and the District's contact information in the marquee located on the left side of the Wheatland Cemetery’s office door. There is also burial information, burial policies, pricing and payment information located in the marquee located on the right side of the Wheatland Cemetery’s office door. We also post our Agenda on the bulletin boards located at the Wheatland Post Office and the Plumas-Brophy Dairy Road Fire Station. It should be noted that this District already freely communicates with our Supervisor Gary Bradford, the Auditor's Office, the Treasurer's Office, the County Clerk, the City of Wheatland and local funeral homes as well as with members of the public via telephone and email. The Wheatland Cemetery District is already a member of the California Association of Public Cemeteries, the Public Cemetery Alliance and Golden State Risk Management, all of which facilitate free mentorship through numerous, learned, certified managers and board members. Dependent upon the time commitment and costs involved, the Wheatland Cemetery District may be interested in a membership to the California Special District Association. As previously stated, our management team has 30+ years of experience in cemetery operations and is frequently contacted by the various Yuba County Cemetery Districts for assistance and/or advice on personnel actions, contract solicitation and development, resolutions, conflict of interest codes and Brown Act/Open Meeting compliance as well as the digitization of burial records and maps. The Wheatland Cemetery District is in full support of this recommendation and believes that County should adopt a new SOI resolution and coordinate with LAFCo to conduct a SOI study. The Wheatland Cemetery District is in full support of this recommendation to engage in a public town hall conversation about options for improving CCD governance, maintenance and resources. However, the Board does not agree that a County Service Area (CSA) would deliver a higher level of service for the Wheatland and Lofton cemeteries. In fact, a CSA would likely complicate the whole process, increase costs exponentially to the Public for said services as well as burials and would likely see the land that the Founders of the City of Wheatland set aside to care for their dead be filled with people from outside Yuba County Grand Jury September 8, 2025 ee ec asc ge Wheatland because those areas did NOT plan accordingly. Yuba County failed to include burial needs while approving new developments in Spring Valley, Linda, Olivehurst and Plumas Lake that made no such consideration or provided for such forethought. It should be noted that all of the new developments provided for a myriad of parks, green belts and public safety services, but not for cemetery land additions or Districts - why is that? No one survives life. This District has been in communication with the BOS as well as the City of Wheatland on that specific issue for more than 10 years with no action taken by either. A town hall where the citizens of Wheatland are told that the City of Wheatland has already approved a general plan to add another 15,000 more homes to their District and now LAFCo and the BOS would like to consolidate the entirety of Yuba County into one Cemetery District should be a fantastically wild meeting. Our tax paying, In-District residents are vehemently opposed to the Wheatland Cemetery District's boundaries being opened so that people not residing within them can fill the cemetery established for their City to capacity because someone at the County dropped the ball while approving proposed developments in unincorporated Yuba County. Please have the City of Wheatland Police and/or the Yuba County Sheriffs Office attend the meeting to ensure everyone's safety. R11. Yuba County LAFCo should promptly engage in another SOI study; however, LAFCo should NOT adjust the boundaries of all the districts to account for territory not covered under the current boundaries or provide a series of proposals for consolidation, annexation or dissolution of boundaries, providing for fewer district or centralizing resources, including a singular CCD controlled by a County-wide board that would operate all CCDs in the County. In fact, a singular CCD controlled by a Countywide Board would likely complicate the whole process, increase costs exponentially to the Public for this new District and for all future burials. Allowing anyone in Yuba County to be buried in any of the Yuba County Cemetery Districts would likely see the land that the Founders of the City of Wheatland set aside to care for their dead filled to capacity with people from outside Wheatland because those areas did NOT plan accordingly, nor did the County or City before approving new developments. Their decisions were made with no such consideration or forethought. The Wheatland Cemetery District Board of Trustees would like to thank the Yuba County Jury for their Recommendations. Should you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me or our Manager, Holly Welch, at (530) 633-2964 or at
[email protected] . Sincerely, ISedra <Q, Colder Debra J. Coker, Chairman Wheatland Cemetery District Board of Trustees Cc: Brian Hughes, Legal Counsel - Best, Best & Krieger, LLP