REGULAR BOARD MEETING
MINUTES
August 8, 2007
The North
Carolina Board of Funeral Service met for a duly scheduled Board Meeting at
9:00 a.m. on August 8, 2007 at the Board’s office,
Present: T. E.
White, President; Mark Blake, Vice President; Larry Andrews, Secretary; Rudy
Lea, Frank McCree, Sr., Windell Daniels and J. T. Willoughby III. George Parrott was absent.
Also
Present: Paul Harris, Executive
Director; Stephen N. Dirksen, General Counsel; Patricia Hayes with the N. C.
Funeral Directors Association, Fred Jordan with the NC Eye Bank, William Betts,
President of the Funeral Directors and Morticians Association of NC, Inc., Joe
Cutchins, former president of the FD & MA of NC, Inc. and National Funeral
Directors & Morticians Association, Lori Chappell Greene with the FD &
MA of NC, Inc., Herbert Reichlin and Betty Stoddard with N. C. Funeral Consumer
Alliance of the Triangle and Lyn Cochrane.
Mr. White called
the meeting to order at 9:10 a.m. and read the Ethics Awareness & Conflict
of Interest Reminder. No one recused
themselves at this time.
Mr. White had
the invocation.
Mr. White opened
the meeting for public comment and there was none.
At this time Mr.
White called upon Superior Court Judge Michael Morgan to administer the oaths
of office to Mr. Andrews, Mr. Blake and new Board member, J. T. Willoughby
III. Judge Morgan congratulated these
three members and made comments to the Board.
Mr. White presented Judge Morgan with a gift of appreciation.
At this time Mr.
White asked for a brief recess to have a Board member photograph taken. The meeting reconvened at 9:30 a.m.
Mr. Andrews
presented the minutes to the Board as previously mailed. Mr. White stated he had found one correction
on Page 2, Paragraph 3. Mr. Briggs he
had found one correction on Page 2, Attorney’s Report, second sentence, and one
correction on Page 2, Executive Director’s Report, Paragraph 2, fourth sentence
needed clarifying. Mr. Daniels made the
motion to approve the June26 and July 18, 2007,minutes with the
corrections. Mr. Willoughby seconded
and the motion carried
Exam Committee: Mr. Blake reported the June exam
results. All applicants passed the
exam. Five applicants took pathology
(four first time and one retake).
Nineteen applicants took laws and rules (eighteen first time and one
retake). All applicants passed the July
exam. Ten applicants took laws and rules
(Nine first time and one retake). The
pathology exam is now being given via computer so results are not available at
this time. Mr. Blake stated he would like to begin the process of
computer-based testing for Laws & Rules in the future. Mr. Blake submitted this for information
only.
Finance/Personnel Committee: Mr. Daniels presented the June
financials. Mr. Daniels made the motion
to accept the report. Mr. White stated
since Mr. Daniels was the chairman of the committee, no second was required. The motion carried.
The Finance/Personnel Committee had met prior to the Board
meeting. Mr. Daniels made the motion to
accept the recommendations made by the auditing firm Boyce-Furr. Mr. White called for the vote and the motion
carried. Mr. White stated that he
enjoyed meeting with the auditors to discuss the actual audit.
Mr. Daniels yielded the floor to Mr. Harris to discuss the
Board’s healthcare change. Discussion
ensued. Mr. Daniels made the motion on
behalf of the Finance/Personnel Committee to increase the Health Reimbursement
Plan to cover $1250 of the $1750 annual major medical deductible if
needed. Mr. Blake seconded and the
motion carried.
Mr. Daniels made the motion for a policy change to allow
the General Counsel to sign vouchers and expense reports in the absence of the
Executive Director. Mr. White called for
the vote and the motion carried.
Mr. Daniels made the motion to go into Executive session to discuss
personnel matters. Mr. Blake
seconded. Mr. Briggs made the motion to
return to open session and Mr. Daniels seconded. The motion carried. Mr. White stated there was nothing to report
at this time.
Mr. Daniels made
the motion to accept the Boyce, Furr & Company, LLP Financial Statements of
December 31, 2006 and 2005. Questions
ensued. Mr. White called for the vote
and the motion carried.
Preneed
Committee: Mr. Andrews submitted the preneed report for
information only and made the motion to accept.
Mr. Daniels seconded and the motion carried.
Disciplinary: In Mr.
Parrott’s absence, Mr. Harris stated there was an addendum to the previously
mailed report. Discussion ensued. Mr. Blake made the motion to accept the
report with the exception of V07-039.
Mr. Willoughby seconded. Mr.
Daniels, Mr. Lea, Mr. Briggs, Mr. Andrews, Mr. White, Mr. McCree and Mr.
Willoughby voted yes. Mr. Blake voted no
and the motion carried. Mr. Briggs made
the motion to send the Letter of Caution in the matter of V07-039. Mr. Blake seconded and the motion carried.
Laws, Rules and Legislation: Mr. Briggs
yielded the floor to Mr. Harris after commending him for the rapport Mr. Harris
had developed with the Legislature. Mr.
Briggs stated the senators and representatives believe him and trust him they
believe and trust Mr. Harris, they believe and trust this Board. Mr. White agreed with Mr. Briggs and also
commended Mr. Harris.
Mr. Harris discussed legislative matters including SB1435 (the Board’s
bill) ratified on August 2, 2007, and HB1400 (prohibits tissue recovery in
funeral homes and payment of referral fees) ratified July 28, 2007 which is now
law. HB634 (advanced directives bill
which also clarifies health care power of attorney powers) has been
ratified. The Committee will begin study
on the request by the Funeral Alliance of the Triangle regarding burial by
immediate family.
Mr. Daniels made the motion to accept the report. Mr. Blake seconded and the motion carried.
Attorney’s Report: Mr. Dirksen
stated the 11:00 hearing had been settled and the attorney for the 11:00
hearing was present to request a continuance.
At this time Mr. White recessed the Board Meeting and called the Hearing
to order at 10:55 a.m. The Board called the case in the
matter of NCBFS vs. R. H. Greene and R. H. Greene Funeral Home. Attorney for Mr. Greene, Larry Armstrong,
requested a continuance in the matter of M05-016. Mr. Blake made the motion to grant the
continuance and Mr. Andrews seconded.
The motion carried.
Mr. White
adjourned the hearing at 11:02 a.m.
Mr. Dirksen
presented his report and stated all cases had been settled or have been
continued and the four consent orders signed.
Mr. White commended Mr. Dirksen on his endeavors to the reduce his
report.
At 11:05 Mr.
White called a five-minute recess.
Executive Director’s Report: Mr. Harris
submitted the Inspectors Monthly Status Reports for review.
Since the June 26, 2007 Board Meeting, forty-seven reports have been
filed. The following are establishment
changes: New funeral homes—Fonville
& Dove, Kinston; Adams of Wilkes, North Wilkesboro; Drum Funeral Home,
Hickory; and National Cremation Service, Charlotte and Stanly Funeral home,
Albemarle, location changes; Registered Change of Ownership—Harwood Home for
Funerals, Black Mountain (formerly Miller Funeral Home) and Lancaster Funeral
and Cremation Services, Louisburg; Closed—Welch Funeral Home, Mocksville;
Mitchell’s Funeral Home, St. Mary’s Street, Raleigh; and Moody Funeral Home,
Bryson City. Crematories—Adcock
Crematory,
New funeral licenses have been issued to: funeral services
licenses—Brantley Gurley, Felicia Gaston, James Bullard, Jr., Teresa Herring,
Vincent Johnson, Nikki Adams, David Valentine, Justine Abernathy, Billy
Wedgworth, William White, Jonathan Wood, Curtis Jenkins, Jeffrey Braley, Steven
Patterson, Raymond Hackett, jr., Spencer Letchworth and Henry Gilmore; new
funeral director licenses—Hedrick Jones, Margaret Crumpler, Thomas Isley and
Margaret McKita; new trainees—Michael Preyear, Michael Cameron, Amy Richards,
Kim Moore-White, Kimball Pruitt, Veronica Nifong, Senetra Knight, Jessica
Johnson, Leith Armentrout, Terrance Hough, Jeremy Wheless, Ashley Suggs, Edgar
Butler, James Henderson, Sharon Maitland, Ashley Peterson, Stephen Moore and
Vivian Wright.
With regards to the monthly Ethics reporting, Mr. Harris has met with
representatives of the FD & MA of NC, Inc., NCFDA and various senators and
representatives.
Mr. Harris has the 2006 Annual Report from the Board to the General
Assembly containing a Record of Complaints, Auditing and Enforcement as
required by Chapter 90-210.70(d) of the NC General statutes ready for Mr.
White’s signature and mailing.
Tom Taaffe has been named SMORT coordinator. Mr. Harris has been working with this group
with regards to the Pandemic Flu planning.
The report for the Office of State Controller is now complete and ready
for mailing.
The Crematory Authority met on July 16 and have several recommendations
for the Board. They are recommending a letter
be mailed to all North Carolina crematory operators informing them of air
quality information that is available and the appropriate settings and exposure
to radioactive materials. Mr. Daniels
made the motion to authorize Mr. Harris to compose and mail the letter. Mr. Lea seconded and the motion carried. The CA decided not to take any action with
regards to the 56 series of forms. They
determined the trade association instead of the Board should handle the
cremation technician training.
Mr. Harris will include in the next Board newsletter and E-Newsletter the
Legislation action and information regarding the Health Care Power of
Attorney. Staff member Tanya Pearson is
compiling information from the 2006 Annual Reports regarding the total number
of trust and insurance funds. To date
approximately 75% of the reports have been processed and trust contract funds
are $143,567,264 and insurance contract funds are $743,188,451. There is a preneed review scheduled for
September 17. The September Board meeting
date is September 12-13, 2007. The
October Board meeting will be at Fayetteville Tech on Oct. 3. The NC Commission of Anatomy will meet at the
Board’s office on October 3. The
International Conference of Funeral Service Examining Boards Tri-district
meeting is in
New Business: Mr. Lea
stated the fall clinic is scheduled for the
Mr. Blake stated his concern with continued communication problems with
donor agencies, the notification to funeral directors, and the release of the
remains in a timely manner.
Old Business. There was none.
Informational Items: Mr. Harris
stated there were two items regarding Board disciplinary matters.
Mr. White opened
the meeting for public comment and Mr.
Mr. White
adjourned the meeting until the 11:56 a.m.
T.
E. White, Sr., President
Larry
R. Andrews, Secretary