A meeting between upset families and the Montezuma County commissioners about the recent clean-up of items from the Cortez cemetery produced more questions than it did answers Monday, especially regarding the role of the Cortez Cemetery District board.

Fifteen persons with loved ones in the Cortez Cemetery packed the commissioners’ meeting room to air their views about the May 17 clean-up, in which some items deemed irreplaceable by families were removed. Also present was cemetery caretaker Joe Clayton. No members of the district board were present, but at least two persons on the three-member board were said to be on vacation.

Those who spoke were complimentary of former caretaker Floyd Johnson as well as Clayton and pointed the finger of blame at the board.

Mary Cook, referring to the Matchbox cars that had sat atop her late son’s headstone but disappeared two weeks ago, accused George Wickstrom (board secretary/treasurer) of throwing them away.

"If the board can’t take care of the cemetery, then we want a board that can," she said.

When questioned later by the commissioners, Cook said she could not prove that Wickstrom had taken the cars from the headstone, but said she doubted theft because friends of her late son watch the grave closely and the cars had been on the headstone for years.

Eleanor Fox, whose son Chris is also buried at Cortez Cemetery, had harsh words for Wickstrom.

"I’m tired of him (Wickstrom) cleaning up for me," she stated. "If he wants to take care of Arlington (Cemetery), it’s in Washington!"

Clayton expressed regret over what had happened. He said that while the clean-up was a full board decision, it was Wickstrom who conducted a walkthrough with him and a fellow employee to show them how the clean-up should be done.

Clayton said that, while they did not approach the area of Joseph Cook’s grave during the walkthrough, Wickstrom did remove items from several other headstones to serve as an example of what could be discarded.

Clayton told the commissioners that he had not been comfortable with items simply being thrown away, so items of value were to be documented and placed behind the cemetery office. He also told the commissioners that he indicated to Wickstrom that the clean-up would cause problems.

"I told him the board should not institute the policy without better preparation," explained Clayton. "I said there would be friction."

Families at the meeting said they were not aware of the policies that the board had instituted concerning placement of items at grave sites.

The commissioners expressed interest in people’s concerns, but board attorney Bob Slough said that, beyond their responsibility of appointing board members for the cemetery district, the commissioners have little legal authority over the board because it is a "separate legal entity."

"I don’t think the board can sit here and adopt policies for the cemetery district," said Slough. "We can’t deal with the problem without the board of directors here."

Slough said he found the apparent lack of knowledge of the cemetery district’s inner workings "amazing."

"It shouldn’t be secret. It’s a government entity, it should be public."

Commissioner Kelly Wilson admitted that problems at the cemetery had "sneaked up on the commissioners" but he gave credit to the former and current caretaker, saying that when he drives by the cemetery, "It looks good."

A question that arose at the meeting dealt with where funding for the cemetery district comes from. The money for the cemetery comes through an annual mill levy. The Cortez Cemetery receives an annual levy of 0.492 mills that brought in $46,799 in revenue in 2000.

More speculation came up when Slough read from the Colorado Revised Statutes: "The board of county commissioners shall appoint a board of directors for said cemetery district, consisting of the three members recommended in the petition filed with board of county commissioners. One of such members shall hold his office for two years, one for four years, and one for six years. Thereafter, the term of office shall be six years."

Most believed that the board members were serving on three-year terms, so the revised statutes brought confusion as to how long each member would serve on the board.

Because the county commissioners have no direct authority over the cemetery district, they encouraged families to attend the district’s next monthly meeting Wednesday, June 13, at the cemetery office.