May 9, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Live at Ogden Village Board

We are here at Ogden Village Board. I am masked up cause #idontwantcovid


Jim Haan is remote.
The Ogden Rose Library guest WIFI is kinda letting me down tonight.

Bills.

Resident discussing off-road vehicles speeding through town. Resident is taking another resident to court over “threats made by the parents of these kids.”

“They aren’t just riding to ride they are riding to harass.”

You can’t drive ATVs on village roads.

https://static.secure.website/wscfus/10334908/6265890/battery-or-gas-scooter-2-to-4-wheel.pdf


Lawyer is discussing library situation. Not sure if it is a separate entity, a library district, ect. The county clerk said they don’t bring in funds so… no one seems sure if they are “village entity” or a separate entity.

The lawyer is saying if the library is a separate entity he can’t do both because it was conflict.

He won’t talk about other issues at this meeting.

Sounds like a mess but they are trying not to talk about whatever went on directly so…IDK The library board president resigned and so did the board clerk.

I will say that the Ogden Library is really nice and they host a nice Santa event. #thatsalliknow

Parks are only open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. if there is an active ball game then the park closes when the ball game is over which has to be 11 p.m.

Now they are discussing fines if they don’t follow this ordinance.
Haan asking how the ordinance will be enforced and if the county will know what the hours are and how to be enforced. Lawyer saying they have to have a sign.

“We need to order that sign right away and not take three months to get it up,” Sue Esposito said.

If you are in the park after the official hours you can get a $50 fine.


The Village Board of Ogden decided not to raise the pay of future board.
“When I started it was $50,” Sue Esposito said. “Now it is $100 and that is what St. Joseph gets. I think that’s enough for what we do here.”

The issue was raised because pay raises have to be given 180 days before the beginning of the terms of officers whose compensation would be affected.

The board cannot increase the salary of elected officials during their term of office.
The Illinois Municipal Code states that salaries or other compensation shall not be increased or diminished so as to take effect during the term of any officer
holding an elective office.

The village of Ogden’s parks were struck by vandals.
A bench was knocked over and a concrete bench was broken.
Clerk Jennifer Bowman said cameras the village has in the parks caught the vandals.
“We can see who they are but we don’t know who they are,” she said.
Bowman told the village board that it was three boys and a girl who were at least driving age.
The board discussed whether the vandalism at PVO South is related to the vandalism at the park.

Ogden is exploring whether they can hold their annual movie in the park event.
The event is held at the baseball diamond.
“We may be able to pull off a movie in the park,” said Trustee Sue Esposito. “It’s a big area and it’s usually 50 people or less in a huge area.”
Trustee Kelly Cooper said the village insurance company told her they will not cover events until the state is in Phase 5. Esposito said she would
call the company again for clarification.

There is still a cat problem in Ogden.
A resident in Ogden who said they would stop feeding the feral cats did not stop feeding them and has messed with the traps set by Animal Control.
The resident has been fined $1,400 for unregistered animals on their property.

Sonja discussing speeding in the village. The village is going to ask the County to bring out a radar sign. The village previously had one in town and it did make people slow down.

The auditors said that there are not enough internal controls. Small villages get knocked for this every year. #nobiggie

Sue’s still trying to find a way to give away easter eggs.



Banner
Related Posts

Process for filling vacant trustee position up to the mayor

September 11, 2023

September 11, 2023

How a vacant trustee position is filled is up to the mayor’s discretion, said Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges. Fruhling-Voges had seven...

Village to take vote on dispensary Sept. 10

August 27, 2019

August 27, 2019

Residents have until Sept. 10 to make their opinions on a dispensary within the village known. During the August 27...

Mayor discusses administrators pay increase

December 18, 2024

December 18, 2024

The Village Administrator of St. Joseph is getting a raise. The annual salary for the position will be increased to...

Live at the St. Joseph Village TIF public meeting

April 15, 2025

April 15, 2025

I am here so you don’t have to be. Nothing is being voted on today. It’s a public comment type...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board Oct. 26

October 26, 2021

October 26, 2021

I am live at village board so you don’t have to be. Visit Champaign County is here. I feel like...

5 questions with Republican caucus candidate Steven Peters

December 2, 2024

December 2, 2024

1. What made you want to run? I have been a member of this exceptional community for the past 20...

Remembering B.J. Hackler: ‘He made people smile’

September 10, 2021

September 10, 2021

B.J. Hackler liked to stay busy. He belonged to the St. Joseph Tea-Totalers, a group of residents who meet in...

Village says to ‘opt out’

June 9, 2023

June 9, 2023

Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges wants St. Joseph residents to know their options. At a recent village board meeting, Fruhling-Voges said that...

Talk of the Town….. with Gabe Clements

September 5, 2019

September 5, 2019

Every week we ask a village trustee, mayor, school board member or administrator three questions. This week we talked to...

Safety first: Village urges residents to slow down near school crossing guards

August 25, 2021

August 25, 2021

When Matt, Andrew and Mark Case were young, their mother Beverly was thankful for a crossing guard to help them...

Village reminds residents not to dump at burn site

June 30, 2020

June 30, 2020

St. Joseph Public Works is reminding residents that it is illegal to dump brush or garbage outside of the St....

Acklin named acting mayor of Ogden

November 3, 2023

November 3, 2023

Jim Acklin is the acting mayor of Ogden. Acklin was selected at the Nov. 2 meeting by the Ogden Village...

Live at St. Joseph Village Board, June 14

June 14, 2022

June 14, 2022

Our live blogs are sponsored by MX Electric. I am the only one here besides the board, Mike Sennert and...

Village to hold public hearing on marijuana dispensaries

July 26, 2019

July 26, 2019

The Village of St. Joseph will hold a public hearing to discuss allowing marijuana dispensaries in town. The hearing will...

Ogden reminds residents to use Recycling Dumpster responsibly

April 11, 2019

April 11, 2019

The Ogden Village Board is reminding people that the Ogden Recycling Center is not a garbage dump. Yesterday the village...

Comments
Leave a Reply